Party Crashers
by twifantasyfan
Summary: Jacob was just planning to take Bella up on her party invitation, but found a lot more going on. A behind-the-scenes look, from the packs' POV, of the before/during/after of the newborn battle.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Once again, I do not own Twilight or anything pertaining thereto.

I don't plan to do too much story juggling, but I've always been interested in the behind-the-scenes stories to what we get in the books, and it wouldn't let me go. So here's my take on the start of the wolf-vampire alliance. Recognizable dialog is taken from Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer.

Jacob POV

"You really sure you want to do this, Jake?" Quil asked from the passenger seat of my Rabbit.

"She _did_ invite me," I replied.

"Yeah," Embry chimed in from the back seat, "and then she broke her hand punching you in the face. She might not appreciate you showing up at her party now."

"Sure, sure," I dismissed their concerns. Despite their, and Sam's, doubts about the wisdom of this, I wasn't about to pass over any chance to see Bella, especially when any one might be the last. My fingers tightened convulsively on the steering wheel as I thought back to the last time I'd been over to her house, the night I'd come to catch the scent of some trespassing leech.

(flashback)

_I stood in Bella's kitchen, rinsing off the dishes she was washing._

"Can I ask another question? Just curious, again."  


"_Fine," she snapped._

I turned the knife I was holding over and over. "You said a few weeks...When, exactly...?" I trailed off and held my breath, both waiting for, and dreading, her answer.

"Graduation," she whispered, watching me with concern.

"So soon," I breathed, shutting my eyes as if to try and block out the reality.

(End flashback)  
_  
_She'd graduated just that morning. Billy and I had driven up and sat with Charlie during the ceremony. He'd been so proud of her, and so clearly oblivious to the horrible significance of the milestone.

If I wasn't so scared of the answer, I could almost wish that I knew the exact date and time that she would be lost forever. But I wasn't ready for that, or to find out how the Cullen's planned to stage her 'death'. Could it even be tonight? Made out to look like a post-party drunk-driving accident?

As it turned out, I didn't have to worry about finding the Cullens' driveway: it was illuminated on both sides by thousands of lights wrapped around the trees.

"How in the world did they get power run out this far?" Quil wondered.

"No clue," Embry muttered.

Finding a place to park on the edge of the grass, we got out and stared at the house. Not where we'd have expected vampires to live. Big, modern, lots of windows and lights. And the stink. We all winced as the burn hit our noses.

"Do we have to do this?" Embry muttered.

"Yes, we do," I tossed over my shoulder, as I strode onto the wide porch and headed for the front door. The deep bass of the blaring music was almost palpable even with the door shut. I winced a little in anticipation what it would be like once I was inside. Werewolf hearing could be a killer, sometimes.

My finger depressed the doorbell with impatience, once, twice, a third time, for longer each time. When no one answered, I wondered if anyone, besides the leeches that is, could hear it over the music. The doorknob twisted easily in my hand and I pushed the door open.

The room was full of people; it seemed like most of Forks between the ages of 15 and 20 were there. Lights were dim, and red, giving a mysterious look to the room—just like expected. My height worked to advantage as I started scanning the room for Bella. I finally found her, fighting her way through the crowd toward the stairs leading up to the second floor.

"Hey, Bella," I called, catching a break in the music to carry my voice. She looked up, making a face as she realized it was me. Her gaze went past me, to where Quil and Embry were still standing in the doorway. They were frozen, as if they expected to be struck by lightning if they came all the way in.

My nose wrinkled as the full effect of the vampire stink began to permeate my senses. Yuck. Bella gave me a brief, dismissive wave, and then turned away again, apparently looking for someone. I used my size to work through the crowd, catching up with her near what appeared to be the kitchen; like leeches really needed one of those! I grasped her shoulder and pulled her closer to the wall, where the shadows would conceal us from quick view by the crowd.

"Friendly reception," I observed mildly.

"What are you doing here?" Bella demanded. What? Had she forgotten her invitation already?

"You invited me, remember?" I reminded her.

"In case my right hook was too subtle for you, let me translate, that was me uninviting you." She really did seem to be annoyed that I was there.

"Don't be a poor sport. I brought you a graduation present and everything."

Her arms were folded across her chest, in irritation though, not in the holding-herself-together gesture of a few months ago.

"Take it back to the store, Jake," she told me. "I've got to do something…"

I still wasn't about to let her get away from me. I moved to block her path.

"I can't take it back. I didn't get it from the store—I made it myself. Took me a really long time, too." I figured that would get her; Bella _hated_ it when people put effort into something for her. She just couldn't let herself be rude about it.

She was still trying to peer around me, as if whoever she was looking for was more important than me.

"Oh, c'mon Bell. Don't pretend like I'm not here!" I whined.

"I'm not," she denied, "Look, Jake, I've got a lot on my mind right now." Sure she did, like the countdown to becoming a bloodsucker, I'd bet.

I grabbed her by the chin and gently forced her face up to look into mine. "Could I please have just a few seconds of your undivided attention, Miss Swan?" I asked. She jerked away from me.

"Keep your hands to yourself, Jacob," she hissed angrily.

"Sorry!" I apologized. "I really am sorry. About the other day, I mean, too. I shouldn't have kissed you like that." _Not that I was regretting it, just that she'd gotten hurt._ "It was wrong. I guess…well, I guess I deluded myself into thinking you wanted me to."

"Deluded—what a perfect description!" she almost sneered.

"Be nice. You could accept my apology, you know."

"Fine. Apology accepted. Now if you'll just excuse me for a moment." Sheesh, Bella really had a one-track mind about getting away from me. Maybe Embry and Quil and the rest had been right. Maybe coming here had been a big mistake.

"Okay," I mumbled. I guess I sounded down enough that she was distracted from her searching to stop and look at me. _Excellent._ I dropped my eyes in apparent sadness and let my lip pout out a little, like I hadn't since I was a kid._ Resist this!_

I guess you'd rather be with your real friends. I get it." And in a way I did. I'd been drawing lines ever since the Cullens had come back, and maybe she was finally tired of trying to walk along them. Maybe _I_ was the one making things hard. Edward Cullen hadn't been objecting to Bella spending time at La Push, or in my picking Bella up at the border. If I was the problem, maybe she was just done with trying to solve it.

She groaned, "Aw, Jake, you know that's not fair." No it wasn't, but why should I play fair?

"Do I?"

"You should," she insisted. I didn't answer.

"Jake? Hey, you said you made me something, right? Was that just talk? Where's my present?" Her enthusiasm was a little faked, and I knew she was trying to make me feel better. "I'm waiting."

"Right," I snorted, but handed over the folded fabric I'd removed from my back pocket.

"Hey, that's pretty, Jake. Thanks."

"The present is inside, Bella."

"Oh." She couldn't seem to get it open, so I had to take it back and loosen the drawstring for her, upending the bag over her outstretched hand. The silver bracelet I'd gotten her slithered out of the bag and pooled in her open palm.

"I didn't make the bracelet," I admitted. "Just the charm." She held the bracelet so she could examine the tiny wolf charm more clearly.

"It's beautiful. You made this? How?" she whispered.

"It's something Billy taught me," I shrugged. "He's better at it than I am."

"That's hard to believe," she disagreed.

"Do you really like it?" I asked.

"Yes! It's unbelievable, Jake." I grinned, happy that she liked my efforts, but that soon faded.

"Well, I figured that maybe it would make you remember me once in a while. You know how it is, out of sight, out of mind."

She ignored me and held out her unsplinted left arm. "Here, help me put this on."

"You'll wear it?" I asked as I fastened the clasp around her wrist. I'd figured it would just end up staying in the bag and maybe get looked at occasionally.

"Of course I will," she sounded a bit surprised.

She returned my smile for a moment, before her eyes began to sweep the room yet again.

"Why're you so distracted?" I wondered aloud. Something, besides her natural distaste for social gatherings where she was the focus, had her on edge tonight.

"It's nothing," she lied, as poorly as usual. "Thanks for the present, really. I love it."

"Something's going on," I guessed, "isn't it?"

"Jake, I…no, there's nothing." She was starting to panic now. I was more convinced than before that something was up.

"Don't lie to me, you suck at lying. You should tell me what's going on. We want to know these things." I didn't even notice that I'd slipped into the pack plural at the end.

"Jacob, I _will _tell you. Just let _me_ figure out what's happening, okay? I need to talk to Alice." Bella insisted. Yeah, the future-seeing leech. Oh, yeah.

"The psychic saw something."

Bella nodded. "Just when you showed up." Which explained why she'd been distracted this whole time; my arrival had probably prevented her from asking Alice what she'd seen.

"Is this about the bloodsucker in your room?" I asked quietly, making sure that only she would be able to hear me.

"It's related," she admitted.

I let that sink in a little. "You know something you're not telling me, something big." I decided. Bella had her protective look on. When would she learn that _I_ wasn't the one who needed protecting?

She looked like she wanted to deny it, but knew I'd recognize it for the lie it was. "Yes."

I looked at her for another moment, then turned to where Embry and Quil were still at the front door. My expression must have spoken volumes, because they both instantly straightened up and began weaving their way through the throng of students to reach the spot where Bella and I were standing, instinctively falling it at my flanks.

"Now, explain." I ordered.

"Jacob, I don't know everything," her gaze was still traveling the room.

"What you _do _know, then."

"Her mouth opened, and squeaked, "Alice!" in relief.

The three of us turned our heads to see the tiny pixie-like vampire standing at the top of the stairs. Her descent paused ever so slightly as she caught Bella's use of her name. I knew the instant she saw the three of us, as her eyes instantly focused into irritation, completely obliterating the stress, worry, and even _fear_ that had been there only an instant earlier. _What is going on?! _I wondered, instinctively leaning away from her, as my brothers were. I was surer than ever that we needed to know what was going on, yet a tiny part of me really didn't want to know what could get a vampire so scared. She reached the bottom of the stairs and was quickly at Bella's side.

"I need to talk to you," she whispered to Bella.

"Er, Jake, I'll see you later…" Bella managed, as Alice started to maneuver her away from us.

"Hey, not so fast," I insisted, bringing my arm up to block their escape.

Alice stared up at me, as if she couldn't believe I was telling her 'no'. "Excuse me?" 

"Tell us what's going on," I demanded, in a near-growl.

I almost jumped out of my skin when another vampire appeared right next to us between one breath and the next. It was the young blond male, Jasper, if I remembered correctly, and he was Alice's mate, which explained the ferocious expression on his face. Figuring that discretion was the better part of valor, I slowly pulled my arm back, away from Alice and further from his reach. I got the feeling that if I left it there any longer, it and I would be parting ways.

"We have a right to know," I glared at her.

Jasper stepped closer, apparently viewing my glare as a threat to his mate. To either side of me, Quil and Embry tensed, expecting an attack.

Bella laughed a little hysterically, trying to distract us. "Hey, this is a party, remember?" We all ignored her.

Alice canted her head thoughtfully before addressing her mate. "It's okay, Jasper. He actually has a point." He didn't move even a fraction of an inch.

Bella seemed to have finally had enough. "What did you see, Alice?" she asked.

The pixie stared at me for another moment, before turning to answer Bella's question. "The decision's been made." _What decision?_ I wondered. But Bella evidently knew exactly what Alice meant. What little color her face normally had drained away, and she looked like she was about to be sick.

"You're going to Seattle?" Bella gasped.

"No." Alice's denial sank like a stone into the tension surrounding us.

Quil, Embry and I were vibrating ever so slightly. Something really bad was going on here, and the urge to phase in defense was growing.

"They're coming here," Bella choked. "To Forks."

"Yes," Alice confirmed.

"For?" Bella couldn't seem to finish her question. The vampire didn't seem to need it. "One carried your red shirt."

Jasper was scowling, not at all happy with something, whether it was the topic of conversation or the fact that the pack was now in on it. "We can't let them come that far," he told Alice and Bella. "There aren't enough of us to protect the town."

_What? What was coming, and why was Forks in danger? What weren't they telling us?_ I was really starting to freak out now.

Alice's face was full of grief. "I know," she told him, "but it doesn't matter where we stop them. There still won't be enough of us, and some of them will come here to search."

"No!" Bella whispered, though we all heard her. I knew what was coming next. Bella believed that we were all in danger, and that it was somehow her fault. She was going to try to do something to try and protect us all, even though she was the fragile, mortal, human. Typical Bella.

"Alice," she breathed. "I have to go; I have to get away from here."

"That won't help," Alice shook her head, her spiky black hair vibrating with the force of her movement. "It's not like we're dealing with a tracker. They'll still come looking here first."

"Then I have to go to meet them," Bella was really panicking now. "If they find what they're looking for, maybe they'll go away and not hurt anyone else!"

"Bella," Alice's exasperation was plain.

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore and interrupted. "Hold it! _What_ is coming?"

Alice's icy golden gaze seemed to pierce clean through me. "Our kind," she breathed, "lots of them."

"Why?" I demanded.

"For Bella. That's all we know."

"There are too many for you?" I scoffed derisively.

Jasper tensed up in response. "We have a few advantages, dog," he retorted. "It will be an even fight."

An absolutely brilliant idea blossomed in my mind, if I could pull it off, which I felt pretty confident of. It was revolutionary, but completely in line with the pack's mission of protection, as well as my personal one toward Bella. I could feel the fierce grin that was starting to spread across my mouth. "No," I told them all, "it won't be _even_."

"Excellent!" Alice hissed. Her face no longer showed fear, horror, or grief. Instead it was almost luminescent with excitement. She grinned widely at me, and I found myself grinning back.

"Everything just disappeared," she told me, rather smugly, I thought. "That's inconvenient, but, all things considered, I'll take it."

"We'll have to coordinate," I said, thinking aloud. "It won't be easy for us. Still, this is our job more than yours."

Alice tossed her head dismissively. "I wouldn't go that far, but we need the help. We aren't going to be picky." She was up on her tiptoes in her excitement, and I was leaning down closer, my nose wrinkled against her sickly sweet smell.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait," Bella seemed to have finally caught up with us, and figured out what was going on. Both Alice and I turned to look at her rather impatiently.

"Coordinate?" Bella got out.

"You honestly didn't thing you were going to keep us out of this?" I asked her in surprise.

"You _are_ staying out of this," she insisted.

"You psychic doesn't think so," I retorted smugly. Bella couldn't argue with that, surely?

"Alice—tell them no!" she insisted again. "They'll get killed!"

My brothers and I all laughed. Her fears for our safety were more than a little insulting. After all, killing vampires was what we were born and bred to do.

"Bella," Alice cooed soothingly, "separately we _all_ could get killed. Together—"

"It'll be no problem," I joined in.

Quil laughed in excitement, "How many?"

"No!" Bella said, again.

Alice ignored her to answer Quil. "It changes—twenty-one today, but the numbers are going down." 

"Why?" I wondered.

"Long story," she answered, suddenly looking around, as if only now aware of where we were standing, with a good percentage of Fork's youths almost within reach. "And this isn't the place for it."

"Later tonight, then?" I pushed. We couldn't let this slide; we had to jump on it now.

"Yes," Jasper answered me. "We were already planning a…strategic meeting. If you're going to fight with us, you'll need some instruction." All three of us looked a little disgusted at that. We'd killed a leech before—we knew what we were doing.

Bella's low moan of "No," was almost inaudible as Jasper kept speaking thoughtfully. "This will be odd," he mused. "I never considered working together. This has to be a first." And it probably was. A treaty like we'd had with the Cullens for the last sixty-odd years was strange enough, an active alliance would be something else.

"No doubt about that," I agreed. I was twitching with the need to get moving. Sam and the others had to find out about this immediately. "We've got to get back to Sam," I told them. "What time?"

"What's too late for you?" he asked.

A triple eye-roll. We were used to staying up all night on patrol—a late-night meeting would be nothing. "What time?" I asked again.

"Three o'clock?" 

"Where?" I moved on to the next practicality.

"About ten miles due north of the Hoh Forest ranger station." We knew it well from patrolling. "Come in from the west and you can follow our scent in."

"We'll be there," I said, as we turned for the door.

"Wait, Jake," Bella called. I paused, while the others kept moving.

"Don't be ridiculous, Bells," I chided. "You're giving me a much better gift than the one I gave you."

I saw her mouth shape "no" again, but it was drowned out by the blaring music. I ignored it anyway, heading for the door to catch up with the others. They were waiting for me by the car.

"Jake, how do you want to roll?" Embry asked.

"Let's get out of sight of the house first," I said, opening the driver's side door. "At the end of the drive, I'll get out and phase to run back. You two drive the car back and meet up with us." We had an alliance to arrange and a battle to plan. I couldn't wait.

AN 2: I'm not sure how far I'll take this one. Definitely through the meetings, and maybe through the battle and aftermath. Depends on inspiration and reader interest. Rest assured that I am planning out the next chapter of "The Wolf and His Girl".


	2. Chapter 2

AN: I hope that readers of my other story, The Wolf and His Girl, will be willing to give this one a try. The first chapter did use heavily from chapter 17 of Eclipse, but this one is in a blank spot for SM. I've long wondered how the pack reacted to Jacob's news of the threat and of the alliance with the Cullen family. Here's my version.

Jacob POV

Once we hit the main road, I stopped the car on the shoulder. I bailed from the car, pausing only long enough to strip off my shirt and shoes and toss them back in. As Embry slid over into the driver's seat, I reiterated my earlier instruction. "Drive straight home and ditch the car the first convenient spot you find." I was off in a flash, and hit the woods at a run. As soon as I could jerk off my pants and tie them around my ankle, I phased and bolted for home.

_Jacob,_ Sam's voice was rich with relief, then filled with concern as he caught the timbre of my thoughts. _Did something happen?_

_No, we're fine,_ I assured him. _But there is a problem we'll need to address. I know what's been going on around here lately, and why. We need a pack meeting._

Sam grew wary. He hadn't agreed with my decision to help the Cullens watch over and protect Bella after that strange leech's scent had been detected in her room, which was why I'd been running so many double shifts lately. He probably feared that I planned a resumption of my earlier argument.

_What?_ He asked, finally.

_The Cullens' fortune-teller saw something just before we got there. Apparently there's this bloodsucker army about to come to Forks looking for Bella. Seems the one we scented in Bella's room was some kind of advance scout._

The silence my pronouncement fell into was quickly broken by Sam's howl. It took only a minute or so before Jared's and Paul's minds joined us.

_Meeting, now_, Sam ordered us.

_What's up __**now?**_ a new voice asked.

_I'm here too,_ chimed another.

_Great,_ I groaned. Seth wasn't too bad—for a 14-year-old, but his _sister_…We still hadn't gotten our minds fully wrapped around that whole idea yet.

_Thanks so much,_ Leah snapped acerbically.

_Not now!_ Sam was clearly in no mood to put up with our usual bickering. _Meet in the clearing. Jake has some information._

We all started running for the clearing Sam had visualized. Soon, Quil and Embry were racing to join us. Once we were all gathered, Sam turned to me, _Jacob?_

I quickly filled everyone in, running my mind back over the encounter with Bella and the two newest Cullens. Everyone growled when I remembered Alice's answer to my "Who is coming?" question. _Our kind. Lots of them. For Bella._ And again when Jasper and Alice discussed these others coming into Forks itself. I think the thing that made the most impact was my memory of Alice's face as she stood at the top of the stairs, of the stress and fear that were there before being masked. We were all raised on stories of how strong, powerful, and fearsome vampires could be, and what was coming had one of that kind acting scared.

But the growls choked into stunned disbelief when they saw my solution to the problem.

_Ally with them? No way!_ Paul snorted in disgust.

_They don't want these others here anymore than we do,_ Quil reminded us.

_What about everyone who might be in danger if this army comes here?_ Jared asked. _Kim…_ his thought-voice trailed off into veiled panic at the thought of his imprint in danger. Quil and Sam both echoed that sentiment; Claire and Emily would be at risk too.

_A leech is a leech,_ Leah's opinion was clear.

_Bella. But when I suggested us getting involved, her vision disappeared._

_What does that mean? _Seth wanted to know.

_She can't see us—wolves. If she can't see what's going to happen now, it must be because we're a part of it._ I turned back to Sam. _This isn't just about Bella now; it's about everyone who lives here. These leeches have been killing in Seattle for weeks now; we can't let them come here and do the same._ I was guessing, but only a little, about that last part. I knew that the city had been dealing with a serial killer lately, and Bella's comment about Seattle suggested a connection.

Sam's mind was a swirl of confusing thoughts. His long-standing cultural, and personal, hatred of what the Cullens were was pulling him one way; his inbred determination to protect the people here, as well as his imprinted drive to protect Emily, was pulling him the other way. He paced back and forth restlessly, wrestling with the decision we were all waiting for.

_Our duty is to protect everyone we can. The Cullens have not violated the treaty; they have not been a threat to the people here. Everything Jacob has shared says they're as concerned about collateral damage as we are. As difficult as it will be for us, an alliance to deal with this threat __**does**__ make sense. How do they want to proceed?___Sam turned back to me.

_They're planning a strategy session for 3 am, north of the Hoh Ranger Station,_ I related.

_We __**know**__ how to fight a leech,_ Paul sneered.

_Twenty of them?_ Quil interjected. _That's not something any pack has had to deal with, not since the very beginning,_ he reminded us all. _Maybe numbers make a difference. I mean, what can it hurt?_

_Us, if this goes sour, _Jared retorted.

_Enough,_ Sam directed. _Okay, Seth and I will patrol this evening. Everyone else, get some sleep. Meet back here at 2._

I headed back to where Embry and Quil had left my car, then drove home. I was grateful for the chance to stand down and get a little sleep. I wasn't worried about Bella tonight, knowing that the Cullens weren't about to let her out of their sight. Somehow, that didn't bother me right now.

"Jake?" Billy called when I came in.

"Yeah, dad?" I replied.

"What's up?"

"Cullens have word that there's an army of bloodsuckers coming here after Bella. Pack's going to meet up with them later tonight for a strategy session on how to deal with the threat.

"An alliance?" my dad clearly found that hard to believe.

"Common enemy. Working together on this makes sense. Won't change things otherwise. Listen, I gotta get some sleep before we meet up again, okay?"

"Okay. Just be careful."

"Sure, sure," I told him as I headed to bed.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Much as I wish I owned Twilight, I unfortunately don't. But I at least have this to play with. We get back into the text a bit with this one. Anything you recognize is thanks to Stephenie Meyer. Sorry that updates on this are so slow—I'm focusing more on my other story "The Wolf and his Girl". At least it didn't take me two months this time; this just wanted to come and TWahG is giving me fits right now.

Jacob POV

I woke up when my alarm went off. Damn, I hated having to get up in the middle of the night. Staying up late or getting up early wasn't too bad, but this middle of the night stuff was a killer. With a groan, I rolled out of bed. Time to go meet the leeches.

Hopping out my window, I loped to the treeline, stripped, phased, and headed back to the clearing.

_So what's the plan, Sam?_ I asked my alpha when I'd arrived.

_I know you trust them at least this far, Jacob, but I don't know that I'm as confident. I'm not willing to just walk up to them and shake hands._

_I get that, Sam, and I'm not asking for that. Neither are they, I don't think. So do you want us to come as wolves?_

_I do, yes._

_Okay, fine. The mind-reader—Edward—will be there; ought to be able to translate for us._

That whole thing was a bit weird. We'd long since gotten used to hearing each other's thoughts in wolf form, but this was something else. I hated to even think of having even the smallest amount of sympathy for him, but I couldn't imagine (and didn't _want_ to) what it would be like to _never_ get any peace from the thoughts of those around me.

While I'd been thinking, the rest of the pack had arrived, and Sam had filled them in on the plan. At his unspoken command, we headed off deeper into the forest, making in the general direction of the forest ranger station. When we got close, we found their scent, just as that Cullen—Jasper—had said.

_Yuck! This stinks!_ Seth shook his head violently, trying to dislodge the stench.

_I hear you,_ Paul agreed.

_Minds in the game,_ Sam reminded them, before I had the chance. The smell was getting stronger. _Must be close now,_ I thought.

The trees began to thin around us, and a moment later, I could see them, grouped together in the middle of the clearing. Six of them. An instant later, their formation shifted into a rough v-shape, facing our approach. I guessed Edward had warned them of our approach. Through a gap in the trees, I saw him off to one side, standing beside…Bella. Guess I wasn't surprised to see her here.

"Damn," I heard one say. "Did you ever see anything like it?"

"What is it?" I heard Bella's voice, despite her obvious attempt to be quiet. "I can't see."

"The pack has grown," Edward told her.

We cleared the trees and spread further out into a wide line. Sam was in the middle, as befitted our leader. Jared and I flanked him; Paul, Leah and Seth were past Jared, Embry, Quil, and our newest recruits Brady and Collin were to the outside of me.

"Fascinating," was Edward's response as we came fully into view.

The vampires' leader took a single step toward us, slow and careful, clearly not wanting cause us any alarm. "Welcome," he told us.

_I hope you're right about this, Jacob,_ Sam told me. Then, _Thank you,_ clearly directed at the mind-reader, who duly repeated the last part for the rest of his coven.

_We will watch and listen, but no more,_ Sam informed him._ This is the most we can ask of our self-control._

"That is more than enough," Carlisle Cullen answered, courteously directing his response to Sam. "My son, Jasper," he pointed to the other blond male, who stood just behind and to one side of him, clearly on alert, "has experience in this area. He will teach us how they fight, how they are to be defeated. I'm sure you can apply this to your own hunting style."

_I wonder what kind of experience he means,_ Jared pondered.

_Doesn't seem to bother him, the idea of killing his own kind,_ Embry noted.

_Are they really that different from you? _Sam asked. I noted with mild interest that only Sam's question was repeated by Edward, and not our other musings.

"They are all very new—only months old to this life. Children, in a way. They will have no skill or strategy, only brute strength. Tonight their numbers stand at twenty. Ten for us, ten for you—it shouldn't be difficult. The numbers may go down. The new ones fight amongst themselves." _One down just since the party earlier tonight_, I thought, but…_Anyone else notice how he didn't really answer the question?_

_Only ten for us?_ Paul complained, echoed by most of the others.

_We can handle more than that!_ Seth chimed in.

_Shut up, Seth!_ Leah hissed, in full big-sister mode.

_We're willing to take on more than our share, if necessary,_ Sam thought to Edward, sounding rather enthusiastic. I guessed that we all were, thinking about leeches that we _were_ allowed to kill.

"We'll see how it plays out," Carlisle smiled in appreciation.

Sam turned back to more practical matters. _Do you know when they'll get here, and how they'll arrive?_

"They'll come across the mountains in four days, in the late morning. As they approach, Alice will help us intercept their path."_ Man, having a psychic around sure is handy,_ I snorted. I could have been wrong, but I thought I saw Edward's mouth quirk slightly in amusement.

_Thank you for the information. We will watch,_ Sam told him. _Settle down, everyone_, he told us all. We all crouched down to the ground, our attention fully focused on the vampires in front of us.

A couple of seconds later, Jasper stepped forward into the space between the two groups. He glanced at his brother before turning to stand facing his family.

"Carlisle's right," he told them, and indirectly us as well. "They'll fight like children. The two most important things you'll need to remember are, first, don't let them get their arms around you and, second, don't go for the obvious kill. That's all they'll be prepared for. As long as you come at them from the side and keep moving, they'll be too confused to respond effectively. Emmett?"

_Guess he really is experienced_, Quil thought.

_Yeah, _Paul agreed. _He definitely sounds like he knows what he's talking about._

_Maybe that explains his scars,_ Leah thought acidly. She had a point, the moonlight hitting his skin revealed dozens of bite-shaped scars criss-crossing his stone flesh.

_Means he won all those fights, Leah,_ Jared countered back.

_Focus,_ Sam ordered, as the big vampire, Emmett, moved farther into the clearing, and Jasper backed away toward one end.

"Okay, Emmett first. He's the best example of a newborn attack."

"I'll _try_ not to break anything," Emmett muttered.

I saw Jasper grin, appreciating his brother's comment. "What I meant is that Emmett relies on his strength. He's very straightforward about the attack. The newborns won't be trying anything subtle, either. Just go for the easy kill, Emmett." Jasper backed away, his body tensing, descending into a lethal crouch. "Okay, Emmett, try to catch me."

The movements were blindingly quick, leap and pounce, move and counter. It was obvious what Jasper had meant about Emmett and his strength, though for all his size he moved very quickly. But never fast enough. Jasper Cullen might just as well have been a ghost, for all the success Emmett was having in catching him. Anytime he got anywhere close, Jasper seemed to vanish, only to reappear elsewhere. Then, in a move almost too fast to see, Jasper had one arm around Emmett's chest, the other gripped in his hair, and his bared teeth only an inch away from Emmett's neck.

Emmett swore luridly.

_Watch your language,_ Leah retorted. The rest of us, though, growled appreciatively. It had been a good show.

"Again," Emmett insisted, clearly not about to let this defeat stand unchallenged.

"My turn," Edward countered, from his place beside Bella. My eyes narrowed at the way her hand clenched around his, obviously not liking his plan.

"In a minute," Jasper told him, shaking his head as he stepped back and smiled. "I want to show Bella something first." He waved his mate, Alice, forward, and she danced lightly, gracefully, to stand with him in the center of our rough circle.

"I know you worry about her," Jasper said, obviously explaining to Bella. "I want to show you why that's not necessary."

He sank back down into a crouch, facing his mate, who just stood there with a smile on her face. Even though I'd been a lot closer to her just a few hours ago, it really struck me just how tiny she really was—barely five feet tall. Jasper shifted his body forward, then stalked silently toward Alice's left side.

_What is she doing?_ Embry gasped, as we all saw Alice close her eyes, blinding herself to whatever was going to happen.

_If this is supposed to reassure Bella, I don't think it's going to work,_ I thought.

In the next instant, Jasper sprang forward, as fast as a rattler's strike. In a blur of motion, he landed several feet away. Alice still stood in our circle, just as she had before he'd moved. Again and again, he launched himself at her, only to somehow miss her each time. Looking closer, I could see what was really going on. Every time he moved, so did she, so that he flew right past her. I wondered if she was using her abilities to predict what he was going to do, or if she was just sensing his movements.

They closed in on each other, moving much closer together. Alice almost seemed to be dancing, the way she spun and twisted away from him. Alice laughed as their fight, if one could really call it that, ended with her leaping onto Jasper's back, pressing her lips to his neck as she said, "Gotcha."

Jasper chuckled and shook his head, reaching around with one arm to peel her off his back. He used his other arm to tilt her head back, before claiming her lips for a proper kiss. Then he set her back down on the ground. "You truly are one frightening little monster," he told her.

Our comments this time were rather wary.

_Did you see how she did that? _Brady asked, to no one in particular.

_I can't believe that,_ Quil agreed. _How did that little fairy get the drop on him?_

I had to admit it was sobering. She was by far the smallest member of the coven, and logic would say she would be the weakest too, physically at least. Clearly, that wasn't going to be the case.

"It's good for them to learn some respect," Edward told Bella, before releasing her hand and declaring, "My turn." He moved into the center of the clearing, and Alice took his place beside Bella. I was vaguely aware of a conversation taking place between the two girls, but ignored it in favor of watching the new contest.

Edward and Jasper closed in on one another right away. Approach and retreat, feint and countermove. This match was by far the most even we'd seen so far. Edward had to be using his mind-reading to predict Jasper's moves before he made them, but Jasper's clearly vast experience must have given him a lot of options to consider.

I didn't have to turn my head to know that all my brothers, and my pack sister, were watching the scene before us as if it were the most riveting of Hollywood blockbusters.

I'd long since lost track of how long this had been going on when Carlisle Cullen stepped forward and cleared his throat. His two adopted sons immediately ceased their circling, Jasper laughing and Edward smiling as they both straightened up.

"Back to work," Jasper said. "We'll call it a draw."

The rest of the Cullens took their own turns against Jasper. It was interesting--and enlightening—to watch each of the Cullens face off against Jasper. Carlisle was competent, but clearly fighting wasn't his first preference, if there was another option. Esme, she was just a lady, I guess. No doubt she'd do okay if faced with a life-or-death situation, but she wasn't really a fighter, either. And the blonde Barbie doll, well, I didn't ever want to know who was responsible for the thoughts creating the scowl on her face.

Then Emmett insisted on getting another turn. "That last time wasn't fair—I want another go at this," he declared.

"Fine," Jasper agreed. The outcome, though, was the same as before. And that was even with Jasper moving slower than before, turning things into more of an actual teaching session.

"You see what I'm doing here," he asked, as he used a slight imperfection in the ground as a launching point to spring out of the way of Emmett's lunge.

Then Jasper had them pair up against each other, and moved among them offering suggestions and encouragement. "Yes, just like that, Rosalie. Watch where his body starts to lean"

"Concentrate on the sides, Carlisle. Be unpredictable to them. They'll be focusing on frontal attacks, remember."

"Alice, don't forget where their targets will be. Keep moving. Don't stay in one place too long, or one of them might get past your guard."

The pairs reshuffled, and the matches continued, until the sky began, ever-so-slightly, to lighten with the approach of day.

"We're about finished," Edward whispered to Bella; I glanced over and saw that she looked completely exhausted.

"Yes," Jasper agreed, turning to face us fully for the first time. We could see that the scars we'd seen earlier weren't limited just to the back of his neck, but continued around to the front of his neck and across his face. Experienced, indeed. "We'll be doing this tomorrow. Please feel welcome to observe again."

_Yes, we'll be here,_ Sam informed them, again through Edward. _But before we go, it would be helpful for us to become more familiar with the scents of each member of your coven. When we hunt, we use scent extensively. We do not wish to make a mistake in the middle of the battle. If each will make sure to stay completely still, we can do this quickly and then leave._

Edward passed that along, and somewhat to my surprise, Carlisle agreed immediately. "Whatever you need," he said.

As one, we got to our feet and began to pace forward, following Sam toward our new allies. Jasper didn't seem to happy about our approach, but Emmett just grinned—probably hoping one of us would lose it and give him some fun.

Sam started with Carlisle, wincing as the vampire's acridly sweet scent fully penetrated his nostrils. A moment later, he moved on toward Jasper. When he was between the two, and somewhat isolated from us, Seth couldn't help it and whined.

_Sam!_

_Cool it, kid,_ I cautioned. _They're not going to pull anything._

I felt the weight of an intense gaze upon me, and looked over to where Bella was again standing beside Edward Cullen. Our eyes locked and I watched as comprehension flooded those brown depths—she knew it was me. I let my mouth fall open to expose my teeth; it probably would have looked intimidating, but my tongue hanging out of my mouth helped. _Yes,_ I exulted, as Bella giggled.

I headed toward her, ignoring the cautions of the pack suggesting that this wasn't a good idea. _I'll be fine,_ I tossed back at them. I ignored Edward and Alice, too, coming to a stop a couple feet away from Bella. Dropping down to the ground put my head at the level of hers.

"Jake?" she breathed.

A laugh rumbled through my chest. Man, was she good. Her hand reached toward me, with only a faint shaking, and stroked the fur on my face. My eyes drifted shut and I leaned into her hand. She moved closer to me, and I couldn't resist the opportunity offered, and flicked out my tongue in a long swipe from her chin to her forehead.

"Ew! Jake!" Bella squealed, jumping away from me, and swiping her sleeve across her face. The look on her face made me let out a barking laugh. I was rewarded a moment later when Bella began to laugh, too.

All around us was silence. In my head…

_How disgusting,_ Leah spat, and I just knew that her hackles were up as high as they could go, and then a smidge more.

_Gross, man,_ Embry and Quil chorused.

_Licking a leech's girl, blech, _Paul would've spat if he could.

_Jacob,_ Sam's mental voice was disappointed.

I couldn't hear Edward's thoughts, the way I could theirs, but I figured he wasn't any happier with me than them. _Man, I love being a wolf._

_Jacob, we're done here, _Sam informed me. _Let's go._

_Not yet,_ I disagreed. _You all can head back, I'll be fine._

I looked back to see the others backing away from the Cullens, still not trusting them enough to turn around to walk away. Within moments, everyone was gone, except for Quil and Embry; not surprising—they'd unofficially taken up roles as my wingmen practically as soon as Quil had joined Embry and I in the pack.

_Jake, man, come on,_ Embry urged. _Let's go home._

_We will, _I reassured him. _In just a little while._

Edward was pointedly ignoring me as he asked Bella if she was ready to go.

_Hey, Leech, what exactly are you planning to do with Bella, while we're all off having fun in four days?_

His dark golden eyes focused on me, as if he wanted to pierce right through me. "I've not quite figured out all the details yet," he answered me.

I grumbled at that. _That's not much of an answer. It's not like the question is that difficult. Why not let us—me—take care of it? Not like I haven't done it before._

"It's more complicated than that," he disagreed. "Don't concern yourself; I'll make sure it's safe."

"What are you talking about?" Bella demanded of him.

"Just discussing strategy," he answered her.

_This is pathetic,_ I snorted. Then I turned and bolted for the forest. Being a wolf definitely made having verbal conversations difficult.

_Jake, let's go,_ Quil begged.

_I've got to talk to them first. I won't be too long, but I'm going to phase so my side gets heard._

I ducked behind a tree and phased, pulling on the pair of sweatpants I'd had wrapped around my ankle. I loped back into the clearing, heading for the spot where Bella and Edward still waited. I gave the rest of the Cullens a wide berth, not because I feared an attack, but really because I didn't want to breathe vampire scent any more than absolutely necessary.

"Okay, bloodsucker," I continued when I was almost to up to them. "What's so complicated about it?"

"I have to consider every possibility," he didn't seem bothered by my irritation. "What if someone gets by you?"

I snorted. _As if!_ "Okay, so leave her on the reservation," I said, humoring him. "We're making Collin and Brady stay behind anyway. She'll be safe there."

"Are you talking about me?" Bella asked—of both of us, I assumed.

"I just want to know what he plans to do with you during the fight," I explained.

"_Do_ with me?" apparently my choice of words wasn't ideal, as she scowled.

"You can't stay in Forks, Bella," Edward told her smoothly. "They know where to look for you there. What if someone slipped by?" Good question, but not one she needed to think about—she worried about other people too much as it was; what was he trying to do, make her worry about the whole town? Her face drained of color.

"Charlie?" she gasped.

"He'll be with Billy," I promised. "If my dad has to commit a murder to get him there, he'll do it. Probably it won't take that much, though. It's this Saturday, right? There's a game." We might not have a flat-screen like Charlie did, but our TV wasn't too bad, and Charlie liked getting away sometimes.

"This Saturday?" she looked first surprised, then annoyed. I waited impatiently through her conversation with him over some concert tickets.

"Hiding you is just a precaution," he concluded, "I told you—we'll have no problem now. There won't be enough of them to keep us entertained.

"But what about keeping her in La Push?" I cut in again.

"She's been back and forth too much," he negated my suggestion. "She's left trails all over the place. Alice only sees very young vampires coming on the hunt, but obviously someone created them. There is someone more experienced behind this. Whoever he, or she"—he added that last with a look at Bella—"is, this could all be a distraction. Alice will see if he decides to come look for himself, but we could be busy when the decision is made. Maybe this someone is counting on that. I _can't_ leave her somewhere she's been frequently. She has to be hard to find, just in case. It's a very long shot, but I'm not taking any chances." Okay, I could buy that argument.

Bella looked up at him, trying to see if she was getting the whole story. "Just being overly cautious," he assured her.

"So hide her out there," I gestured toward the heights of the Olympic range to the east. "There's a million places out there—where either of us could get to in just a few minutes if we had to."

He shook his head again. _Man, does he have to disagree with __**everything**__ I say?_

"Her scent is too strong and, combined with mine, especially distinctive. Even if I carried her, it would leave a trail. _Our_ scent—my family's—is all over the range, but combined with Bella's scent, it would catch their attention. We're not sure what path they'll take—because _they_ don't know yet. If they crossed her scent before they found us…" his voice trailed off, and I couldn't blame him. If they found her scent before they found ours, they'd hunt her, and all our planning would be for nothing. My forehead creased, just as his did, trying to figure out some kind of solution.

"You see the difficulties," he said.

Yeah, I did. "There has to be a way to make it work. I knew there was—I, we, just had to find it.

Bella swayed, and Edward wrapped his arm around her waist to keep her on her feet.

"I need to get you home," he told her. "You're exhausted. And Charlie will be waking up soon…"

"Wait a sec," I interrupted, spinning around to face them, excitement beginning to race through me as my idea developed. "My scent disgusts you, right?" Now, if he's just save time and use his talent…

"Hmm, not bad," he judged, obviously pulling the details out of my brain. "It's possible." Yeah, it was—he'd finally accepted I could have a good idea. "Jasper?"

The other vampire looked up as his name was called, and walked over to us with his mate at his side. She didn't look too happy. I wasn't sure if she just didn't want to be around me, or if my idea was confusing things enough that she couldn't see what was coming.

"Okay, Jacob," Edward told me. I turned to Bella, who looked back at me warily.

"We're going to see if I can confuse the scent enough to hide your trail," I told her, as I extended my arms in her direction. She stared at me in suspicion.

"You're going to have to let him carry you, Bella," Edward explained. It was faint, but I could hear the distaste in his voice—he wasn't happy about this part.

She frowned, and I knew she'd be thinking about refusing to try my plan just because of how he felt. _Not this time,_ I thought, and pre-empted any protests by pulling her into my arms. "Don't be a baby," I told her, even as I looked Edward's way to see how he'd taken my action. I was a bit stunned to see him still standing there calmly, as if nothing had happened. He chose, instead, to address his brother.

"Bella's scent is so much more potent to me"—_it was?_—"I thought it would be a fairer test if someone else tried."

I spun away and moved swiftly into the woods, where Bella and I were quickly swallowed up. I couldn't help but relish this opportunity to hold her so close, to remind her of the advantages I could offer her that _he_ couldn't. I was warm and human; it surely couldn't be comfortable to be cradled by a stone statue.

Even though part of me wanted to just keep on going and not stop, I didn't. We just made a short loop through the forest and back into the clearing about 50 yards from the spot where I'd entered the trees. Edward was waiting just where he'd been, and I headed back that way.

"You can put me down now," Bella said, as she tried to squirm in my arms. I tightened them to keep her where she was.

"Uh-uh," I said, "I don't want to take a chance of messing up this experiment."

"You are _so_ annoying," she muttered.

"Thanks," I replied, reminding her of my super-keen hearing.

Between one breath and the next, Jasper and Alice appeared beside Edward, and I reluctantly stopped and set Bella down on the ground. She immediately walked to Edward's side and reclaimed his hand.

"Well," Bella asked Jasper. I focused intently, eager to see if I'd been right.

"As long as you don't touch anything, Bella, I can't _imagine_ someone sticking their nose close enough to that trail to catch your scent. It was almost completely obscured." Jasper grimaced, as if having trouble accepting that he had done just that himself.

"A definite success," Alice agreed, her wrinkled nose expressing her own distaste.

"And it gave me an idea," Jasper added.

"Which will work, Alice chimed in.

"Clever," Edward commented on whatever Jasper's idea was.

"How do you stand that?" I asked Bella. Man, how annoying, to have your every idea pulled out of your head before you had the chance to share it.

He ignored me again, though, and explained things to Bella. "We're—well, you're—going to lay a false trail to the clearing, Bella. The newborns are hunting and your scent will excite them. They'll come exactly the way we want them to, and they won't be careful about it. Alice can already see that this will work. When they catch _our_ scent, they'll split up and try to hit us from two sides. Half will go through the forest, where her vision disappears—"

"Yes", I hissed. That could only me that we'd get half of them to deal with. I wouldn't mind a few more, but half wouldn't be bad at all.

He actually gave me a truly friendly smile then, all our differences and disagreements at least temporarily put aside.

His face tightened then, and he snapped, "Not a chance."

I tried to remember what I'd just been thinking, and then realized it hadn't been me he'd meant. He was staring at Jasper, not quite glaring, but definitely not happy, either.

"I know, I know," Jasper quickly apologized for his thoughts. "I wasn't really considering it."

I had to stifle a laugh when tiny little Alice brought her foot down on top of Jasper's. What a surprise, the psychic didn't like not knowing what was going on. Another burst of laughter was smothered when he rushed to fill her in.

"If Bella was actually there in the clearing, it would drive them insane. They wouldn't be able to concentrate on anything else. Picking them off would be absolutely easy…"

Edward was truly glaring now, and Jasper threw his hands up and even took a step backward. "Of course, it's too dangerous; it was just a stray thought." I noticed, though, the sidelong glance he directed at Bella. It was eerie how my mind and Edward's were operating in sync right now; how could Jasper even _think_ about suggesting something like that?

"No," Edward decreed with absolute finality.

"You're right," Jasper seemed to finally give up on the notion. He took Alice's hand, and tugged her back in the direction of the other vampires. "Best two out of three?" he asked her as they went.

Edward tried to excuse his brother by saying he'd been military. I didn't buy it, even if it did explain his skills.

"I'll bring her here Friday afternoon to lay the false trail. You can meet us afterward, and carry her to a place I know. Completely out of the way, and easily defensible, not that it will come to that. I'll take another route, and meet the two of you there.

"And then what?" I was critical of this part. "Leave her with a cell phone?"

"You have a better idea?" he retorted.

Did I ever. "Actually, I do," I was smug about it. We most certainly did have a better means of communication. And it would solve another of my problems at the same time.

"Oh…Again, dog, not bad at all." Wow, two compliments in one evening? I wasn't sure my heart could take it.

I hurried to fill Bella in, knowing how much she hated to be kept out of things. "We tried to talk Seth into staying behind with the younger two,"—had tried, and failed completely. For all his youth, Seth was every bit a stubborn as his sister; something both had inherited from their mother. "He's still too young, but he's stubborn and he's resisting. So I thought of a new assignment for him—cell phone."

I was disappointed when Bella didn't immediately get what I meant. Edward jumped in to explain.

"As long as Seth is in his wolf form, he'll be connected to the pack. Distance isn't a problem?" he asked me, curious.

"Nope," I replied, thinking of our experiment a while back, when we'd decided to test to see if there was a limit.

"Three hundred miles? That's impressive."

"That's the farthest we've ever gone to experiment. Still clear as a bell."

He was clearly reluctant, but Edward admitted I'd had another good idea. "I'll feel better with Seth there, even without the instant communication. I don't know if I'd be able to leave her alone. To think, it's come to this: trusting werewolves." His mouth twisted a little.

"Fighting _with_ vampires instead of against them," I was equally freaked out by this whole thing.

"Well, you still get to fight against _some _of them," he placated.

"That's the whole reason we're here." I agreed.

I headed for the woods, and the friends I knew were still waiting for me.


	4. Chapter 4

Jacob POV

Quil and Embry circled around me as soon as I made it back to them.

"Sheesh, guys, come on," I groaned. "I'm perfectly fine, okay?"

Embry cocked his head and gave me a look of "you expect us to believe that?"

I rolled my eyes at them, and moved away to strip and phase back. Then the three of us headed for home.

_You know, that pixie never did explain what she meant,_ Quil reminded us.

_About what?_ Embry asked.

_Oh yeah_, I remembered. _Why the number in this vampire army keeps changing. Wonder if we should—_

_We're not going back!_ Embry insisted.

_Fine. Edward's taking Bella back home. We'll just swing that way instead and ask him._ And I put words into action and led them through the woods toward Bella's house. We'd only just settled in to wait when we heard the faintest sound of his movement through the forest.

_It's just us,_ I thought, deciding it was best to announce our presence.

"Jacob," he spoke very softly, obviously in deference to the sleeping Bella he carried in his arms. "Is something wrong?"

_Nothing new. Just had a question your sister forgot to answer tonight._ I thought back to the exchange we'd had with Alice during the party to catch him up to speed.

"Oh." He considered for a moment before answering. "Newborn vampires are very hard to control. They're also easily distracted, as Jasper mentioned. Whoever's been creating them has probably been putting off moving this way in order to build up their numbers, but that's a double-edged sword. Without something to focus on, the newborns will seek any distraction they can find, which usually means fighting among themselves. That's how the one today died. If we're lucky, their numbers might drop more in the next few days."

_Okay, guess that makes some sense. Your psychic still going to be able to keep tabs on things?_

"Yes. So long as your pack doesn't make any decisions on where to go, she'll be able to see when this army makes its decisions."

_Can do._

"If that's all, Jacob, then I ought to get Bella back into her room—she's almost as short on sleep as you are. Oh, we'll be returning to the clearing at about 11 tonight—there's no need to have it be as late as the last session."

I nodded, and my friends and I headed for home as Edward approached Bella's house.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Per instructions Sam had delivered while I was talking to Edward and Bella in the clearing, I headed home to get some sleep, and would relieve Paul and Jared on patrol at noon.

I made a plateful of sandwiches for lunch, and took them, a bag of chips, and a two-liter of pop outside for a solo picnic. The last traces of vampire-stench were gone from my nose, but I still wanted to breathe the fresh air. _What a difference a day makes_, I mused as I munched my way through the food. A day ago, my biggest worry was when one of my best friends was planning to transform herself into something that was my worst enemy. Now...

Now, I was working with my enemies. Although, perhaps 'rivals' was a better term now; 'enemies' seemed to more apply to these newborns instead of the Cullens. But my new enlightened attitude probably wouldn't last. Our alliance of convenience was a short-term proposition; it wasn't going to change anything, not really. We were still going to have to face what Bella's determination to become one of them might mean. It wasn't something that the pack had exactly sat down and hashed out.

I knew I couldn't solve it all today, however much I wanted to. I tossed my trash in the bin and headed for the woods.

_Hey, Jake,_ Embry greeted me when I phased.

_Embry. Anything new?_

_Nope. Oh, Sam's rethinking that meeting tonight._

_How come? Does he think we don't need it?_ I wasn't exactly sure what Jasper had in mind for this session, but if the Cullens felt that _they_ needed the practice, then it only made sense to me that we be there, too.

_He's just not sure about taking everyone._

_Yeah. Good point._ The session last night (or rather, early this morning) might have gone well, but for some members of the pack, staying too long in close proximity to our natural adversaries wouldn't be a good thing. _It's no problem; I'll go._

_Hold on there. Sam's not a big fan of that. Doesn't want anyone going off alone with them. _

_Jacob?_ It was Sam.

_I'll be fine, Sam, really._ Personally, I thought he was being way too protective.

_Jacob, I have to look out for everyone, and that includes you. Yes, things went fine earlier, but I still don't trust them._

_They aren't going to hurt me—I stink to them, remember? Plus, they know Bella likes me, and they like her…_

_I just don't want you going out there alone._

_What are Quil and I? Chopped liver?_ Embry snorted.

_You sure?_ Sam asked him

_We'll roll. It's no problem._ Embry took his and Quil's inclusion in my trip as a matter of fact, and I was grateful. If there was one good thing to have come out of this whole wolf-thing, it was being even closer to my two best friends, and knowing that they would always have my back.

_Patrol till dinnertime, then, and Leah and the new kids will take over. When's the meeting? _

_Cullens'll be back there at 11 tonight._ I repeated Edward's information.

_Get some sleep if you can._

_Sounds like a plan. Let's run._ I stretched out into a full run, but didn't use all my speed. I felt Sam fade out, but Embry was right there at my side.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As we broke into the clearing again, three pairs of vampires looked over at us. Carlisle and Esme were standing next to one another in the center, the two girls were off to one side, sitting on an outcropping of rock, and the two guys, Emmett and Jasper—well, I wasn't sure I wanted to know what they'd been doing—were between us and their mates, obviously protecting them from the big bad wolves.

"Edward and Bella aren't here yet," Carlisle offered, stepping forward a pace or two in greeting. "You are Jacob?" he questioned, as if not completely certain. I nodded. I probably could have phased and had an actual conversation with him, but I wasn't sure I really wanted to.

"We'll be working on how to fight more than one at a time," Jasper interjected from where he stood beside Emmett. "Facing a single newborn is one thing; multiples present different challenges. They won't exactly be working cooperatively, but they _will_ divide your attention very effectively regardless."

I grimaced internally, actually wishing for once that the mind-reader was around. Abruptly, I spun around, making for the trees where I could phase back human.

"Worried?" I jibed as I rejoined the others.

"No," he was clearly amused rather than insulted. "But only a fool isn't cautious when dealing with nearly two dozen newborns." Good point.

"They'll be somewhat prepared to face us," he continued, "but you wolves should be a total surprise to them. They won't have the faintest idea what do to against you."

"Perfect," I grinned fiercely. Then, I realized that I had the perfect opportunity now to try and get the doc to answer the question he hadn't answered last time.

"Hey, Doc?"

"Yes, Jacob?"

"We've been wondering about that question you didn't answer last night. How exactly are these newborns different from you?"

He sighed, and interlaced his fingers in front of his body. "Newborn refers to any vampire during their first year of this life; obviously, all of us are well past that stage. During that time, a new vampire is the strongest that they will ever be—their bodies are still absorbing their human blood."

"Does it make a difference? Human blood or animal?"

Carlisle looked at me gravely. "Yes, it does make a difference; not a large one, but still, a small difference. We have made our choice of lifestyle, and won't change that." I didn't trust his kind farther than I could throw them, but I did trust that they weren't going to kill me, and I guessed I'd have to trust him here. After all, it wasn't like we wouldn't be able to tell if they'd fallen off the wagon, so to speak. The eyes would be a dead give-away.

"Anything else?" I pressed.

"As Jasper said before, they're more emotionally volatile, easily distracted. We have long since mastered keeping ourselves under control." I nodded again.

"Will the rest of your pack be coming, Jacob?" Carlisle asked the question of me this time.

"Nah. Sam didn't figure we all needed to come. I'd've come by myself, but he wasn't a big fan of that idea either. So it's me, Quil, and Embry tonight."

"You're all welcome, of course." Everyone went back to what they'd been doing before our arrival. The girls were talking something about clothes—instant zone-out. Carlisle was going over strategy with Esme, and the guys started wrestling. The way they'd crash into each other sounded like a small thunderstorm. They weren't really going at it, not like they had last time—it was more like they were horsing around. _Just like the pack does, playing around at Sam's,_ I thought. Odd, that we'd have this in common. I decided I'd gotten the answers I needed for now, and went to phase again.

_Let's spread out around the clearing,_ I suggested to Quil and Embry.

_See more that way_, Quil agreed.

We ended up roughly in a semicircle, where someone should get a good view of practically everything. It wasn't long before the heightened senses I'd gotten from becoming a wolf picked up new movement in the trees. _They're here,_ I thought. Sure enough, Bella and Edward appeared soon after. She looked more rested, so it seemed that she'd caught up on sleep today. Clear moonlight made seeing easier tonight and Bella quickly caught sight of the wolves lounging around the rim of the clearing. Her gaze traveled around until she saw me looking her way. Edward took a minute to explain why there were only three of us here tonight.

While I'd been distracted by their arrival, Embry and Quil had been focused on the mock fight between Emmett and Jasper. _Man, why do they get to have all the fun?_ Quil complained, as we watched the two vampires circle around each other. When I glanced back, it didn't seem like Bella was enjoying the show quite as much as we were. Her face was creased with worry. _Is she __**still**__ worried about all of us? We're the indestructible ones here?_

I sprang to my feet and trotted across the clearing, closing the distance between us in seconds.

"Jacob," Edward greeted me rather politely, but I ignored him in favor of stopping in front of Bella. I dropped my head down to her level and tilted it to one side. A little whine escaped me as I thought, _Are you okay, Bella?_

Bella must have known what I meant, because she didn't give Edward a chance to translate before she answered me. "I'm fine, just worried, you know?" Like I was buying that. _That's really stupid. What is there to be worried about?_

"He wants to know why?" Edward told her. I growled low in annoyance.

_How pathetic_. _Can't tell her exactly what I'm thinking, huh? _I saw his lips twitch just slightly. _Glad you find this funny. Bet you she won't, though._

And I was right; Bella had caught both the growl and the twitch. In a moment, she had the explanation and a better translation out of him.

"There's plenty to be worried about," she scolded, "like a bunch of really stupid wolves getting themselves hurt."

I couldn't help the coughing bark that was our wolf-version of a laugh. It was touching, if somewhat insulting, that she was so concerned about us.

"Jasper wants help," Edward told us. "You'll be okay without a translator?" He didn't seem too happy when she told that she'd be fine. _Not like I'm going to run off with her or anything. Sheesh._ He hesitated a moment before turning and heading toward the rest of his family. His 'brothers' had ended their match, and it looked like they were about to get started.

"Go ahead without me," Bella told me when we were alone. "I don't want to watch." _Then why did you come?_ I wondered. I heaved a sigh and dropped to the ground beside her.

"Really, you can go ahead," she kept pushing. I ignored her and scooted a little closer to her, blocking the wind with my body in the process. "Er, thanks," she managed. It took a few minutes, but she gradually relaxed until she was leaning back against my shoulder; she was still ignoring the fights in progress, though.

I kept part of my attention—okay, most of it—on the way Bella absentmindedly began to run her fingers through my fur, evoking a wolf-version of a cat's purr. Part of my attention, though, was still focused on the activities in the middle of the clearing.

"The same basic principles apply to fighting multiple newborns as apply to fighting just one," Jasper was explaining. "Never let them get their arms around you, and never go for the obvious attack. The problem with facing more than one is that you have to divide your attention to keep track of them both, while they only have to focus on you."

We all watched as he demonstrated a few moves that he said were effective, then he started dividing his family into groups to start practicing. I saw that Quil and Embry were paying close attention, so I returned my focus to Bella.

"You know, I never had a dog," she confessed, still stroking my fur. "I always wanted one, but Renee's allergic." I couldn't help laughing at that, sending vibrations through my body. Of all the things she had to be regretful over, it was not having had a dog?

"Aren't you worried about Saturday at all?" she asked me. I turned my head so that she could see me roll my eyes at that. _No, I'm not worried. Like I said before, what is there to be worried __**about**__?_

"I wish I could be that confident," she kept going, both with our one-sided conversation and her stroking of my fur. "So we've got some hiking to do tomorrow, I suppose," her tone made it clear she wasn't looking forward to it. It wasn't like I couldn't understand that—she had a hard enough time staying on her feet when the ground was level and smooth; now we were expecting her to navigate uneven ground with all kinds of obstacles. I couldn't help an enthusiastic rumble; a whole day spent with Bella was definitely something to look forward to, in my book.

"It might be a long hike," she warned me. "Edward doesn't judge distances the way a normal person does." I barked another laugh; I could handle any distance just fine, and if _she_ couldn't I'd be there to help.

She settled back against me, and I thought that life was just about perfect. Right now, it really seemed like all of the recent tensions between us were nothing. It was like things were back to normal, back to the way they'd been before I'd changed, before _he_ had come back. I felt like I had my friend back, all the way back. We didn't say anything, yet the silence wasn't awkward. She just stayed in her reclined position, still ignoring the fights in progress only a short distance away.

Long before Jasper declared himself satisfied with the progress being made, Bella's even breathing told of her slip into sleep. I made sure to stay completely still, not wanting to chance jostling her and waking her up.

_She nodded off a little while ago,_ I told Edward, when he'd returned to our spot in the clearing.

"She needs sleep as much as you do," he observed. "I tried to get her to stay home and sleep tonight, but she wasn't having it."

_She hates to be left out of things. But other than that, I have no idea why she wanted to be here, either,_ I admitted. _Not like she was paying any attention, anyway._

"I should get her home. She'll sleep more comfortably in her own bed." He crouched down beside us and gently slid his hands underneath her knees and back and carefully lifted her away from me. It was only fear of waking her up that kept me from shivering at the icy touch of his hands. _How does she stand it?_ I wondered, not caring at that moment that he would hear my thought; he ignored me regardless.

"We'll meet up with you sometime tomorrow afternoon, probably earlier rather than later. We'll need to allow plenty of time to lay the false trail and then for you and Bella to arrive at the campsite." He spent a few minutes visualizing the location, and thinking of several possible routes to getting there from the clearing."

_Got it. Just let me know when, and I'll be there._

He stood and headed off in the direction of town without a backward glance. I likewise got to my feet and shook out the stiffness from having stayed in one position for so long.

_We done here?_ I asked of my brothers.

_Yep,_ Embry confirmed. _Jasper thinks everyone's got a good grasp of things to do, or not do, as the case might be._

_Let's head for home then. Will you two be able to fill the pack in tomorrow? I've got to do my scent-blocking magic._

_We've got it,_ Quil gave an eye-roll of his own. _Not like you were paying all that much attention, anyway._

_Ha ha,_ I grumbled, turning for home as I did so. Like usual these days, they fell in at my flanks, and we started to run.

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AN: Sorry for being so long (more than 2 months) in getting another chapter of this story up. Got busy, for one thing, plus it can be hard to get motivated to update a story that doesn't seem to be gripping the readers. If you have been reading, though, thank you.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: I honestly didn't plan on it being a couple months before I would get another chapter up for this story. So, to the faithful few, I'm sorry, and I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 5

"Hey, dad," I called as I came in the door.

"Jake, got time to talk?"

"Sure. What's up?" I detoured by the fridge to grab some food. My dad gave me a wry smile, but didn't say anything. He knew as well as I did how much we wolves ate.

"That's actually what I was going to ask you. Can you tell me what the plans are?" His face showed nothing but concern. I didn't think it was necessary, but it was oddly nice at the same time.

"I'll meet up with Bella and her leech tomorrow afternoon, once she's made a trail to that clearing we want everyone to end up at. I'll carry her to some campsite he's picked out, so she'll be safe and out of the way while we're off killing bloodsuckers."

"Be careful, son." My dad reached his hand across the table, gripping my forearm firmly.

"Sure, sure. Honestly, it's no big deal. There are so many of us, it'll be over almost as soon as it gets started."

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Billy POV

As Jake headed off to the bathroom for a shower, I couldn't do anything more than watch him go. I felt such pride in him, and such fear _for_ him. For him, and for all of his friends. The other elders—my old friend Quil and Sue, widow of my dead friend Harry—felt the same, I thought. Pride in those of our blood who were answering the call of their blood and defending their tribe and land, but fear that too much was being asked of those who were in truth little more than children, no matter how old they felt themselves to be. The eldest of them all, Sam Uley, was barely twenty, and the newest wolves only thirteen. None of them should have been called on to bear this burden. Why could this evil not have come during _our_ time? Why must it be our sons or grandsons or even our _daughters_ who must carry this weight?

It was not right that those so young had to keep such secrets about their very identities even from those closest to them. My Jacob and Sue's Seth and Leah were rarities in this pack of protectors, in having a parent who knew everything—for the others, their parents could know nothing. Sam had borne that burden first and worst, in having to keep silent both with his mother and the young woman he loved: Leah. He had had to break Leah's heart when his imprinting on her cousin Emily had left him no choice, unable to tell her why.

And the weight had been steadily increasing for all in the pack—for all of us—over the past year and more, even as the number of wolves had continued to grow. It had brought such joy to my friend Charlie when his daughter Bella had come to live with him, and such fear to me, when she'd so quickly become swept up by the Cullen family, by that male. I vividly recalled the day I had asked Jacob to drive me to Charlie's house, fully intending to break the treaty myself and warn him of the danger his daughter was in, only to be thwarted by Charlie's absence, and the arrival of Bella and her vampire boyfriend. It would be forever etched into my memory: the sight of him leaning over to kiss her neck, then staring right at me in open challenge. And then to learn that Bella herself was already well-informed about what her boyfriend was, that her father was not so informed, and that she knew what I could and couldn't do about it.

Yet for a time my fears had seemed groundless. Charlie's fishing visits had related how much Bella seemed to love this vampire, and how devoted he appeared to be to her, how attentive his "sister" had been after Bella ran off and broke her leg. But every last fear had been more than confirmed just after Bella's last birthday, when the Cullens had abruptly left, and Bella herself was nowhere to be found. It had been Sam to finally find her, several miles from her house, cold, wet and unresponsive. Charlie's relief at her being found had been short-lived. Her lack of response to much of anything had lasted for months, and I had seen my friend growing every more helpless and frustrated at his inability to do anything for her.

Jacob, though, had been able to help bring her back, a source of both relief and dread for me when they became almost as inseparable as she and the vampire had been. I had seen the signs that my son, too, would join the pack, had feared what the consequences of his necessary avoidance of Bella during that time might be. I had hated more than almost anything else in my entire life having to lie to her about Jacob, and had understood her suspicion and frustration. I knew also that Jacob had hoped that he would imprint on Bella; but that hadn't happened. Yet even though he hadn't been granted the blessing of an imprint, he had still gotten Bella's acceptance of what he was. She had also given the pack information they had needed-who the Cold One was that they'd been chasing and what she wanted. Yet still she eluded them.

Then, knife to my son's heart, a Cullen had returned and quickly left, taking Bella with her to save her "brother", Bella's own betrayer, from his intended death. Another unexplained disappearance and three more days of torture for Charlie, and at the end of it all Bella had come back, bringing all of the Cullens with her. Little as he liked it, Charlie had been helpless yet again to prevent this Edward's return into Bella's life.

Yet it had not been Bella who started avoiding Jacob-at least not by her own choice. I knew-as Jacob had not at the time-that Bella's silence and absence had been due to grounding by her father; a grounding that had been extended when Charlie learned about the motorcycles Jacob and Bella had rebuilt and ridden, a secret betrayed by Jacob himself. He had, I suspected, hoped to get her banned from seeing the Cullen; instead, she'd been banned from going anywhere other than work or school.

_"I can't believe you let them do that!" Charlie had practically been shouting at me. "Motorcycles! Bella can hardly walk straight without tripping, yet he lets her get on a motorcycle?"_

_"You encouraged them to spend time together just as much as I did, Charlie," I'd replied. "And you know that I never go out to the garage anymore-my chair doesn't travel that ground very easily at all-that's Jacob's place now."_

In the past couple of months, I'd had to bite my tongue more than once when my friend had gone off on rants about Bella hurting Jake or the Cullen boy controlling her friendships; for all his perceptiveness as a cop, Charlie often seemed oblivious about his daughter. I could hardly bring up the reason the tribe and the Cullen clan didn't get along, and that was the only way to explain why Jacob had shunned her. Yet for Charlie to lay responsibility on Bella wasn't fair- she'd gone above and beyond what anyone could have expected, to try and keep Jacob's friendship.

He'd come around somewhat, after a while, finding some purpose in, of all things, helping Cullen protect Bella from the Cold One hunting her. I had watched my son work himself into exhaustion, fulfilling both his obligations to the pack and his personal vow to Bella. Now, both appeared to have merged, and our protectors were cooperating with these Cullens against the evil Cold Ones.

_Protect them all,_ I prayed. _Let all our children come back to us safely._ I especially wished that for Bella, and not merely because of her immediate danger. Last I'd heard from Charlie, both she and the Cullen had been accepted to some college in Alaska. Even though no one had really said anything, I strongly suspected that Bella had every intention of becoming a Cullen in the fullest sense, and that college might just be a ruse to leave the area.

Sam had spoken with me more than once, trying to decide what, if anything, he ought to say or do, if the issue in fact presented itself. Despite my position as an elder, I had regrettably found myself with no words of wisdom to offer. Strict interpretation of the treaty would place the Cullens unequivocally in the wrong were any one of them to bite and change Bella; yet, I was sure that my grandfather had never considered the possibility of a willing transformation—that someone would _want_ to have it happen. Could our defense of freedom and life truly encompass denying Bella the right to make her own choices about the future path of her life? But could I truly stand by and do nothing to prevent her making a decision that would forever rip her out of Charlie's life? I only wished I knew.


	6. Chapter 6

AN: So very sorry that it's been so long (about 5 months) since I updated this story. I've had a lot going on in my personal/work life that has taken more time/creativity that I would have liked, plus school has kept me busy. For those loyal readers of this story, thanks, and I hope you enjoy this installment.

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Jake POV

I was pretty surprised when I got to sleep in for most of the morning. We were pretty much in a holding pattern until the leeches called to say they were ready for the fake-trail-laying-thing. I'd been on the go 24/7 for so long…well, I guess I could see why Sam had been getting a little concerned about me, so I decided to go for a wolf-run.

"Going for a run, dad," I called as I headed for the door.

"What about—?"

"I won't go too far. When they call, just tell one of the pack and they'll pass the word."

"You be careful, hear?"

I stopped, turned, and headed back for him to offer a brief, somewhat rare, hug. "Sure, sure." He gave me a look and I added, "I promise."

In the woods, Quil and Embry were waiting for me.

_What's up?_

_Just going for a run, blowing off steam, you know?_

_Want company?_

_Your call._

We just ran, relishing the chance to let loose and act like actual teenagers for once.

_Glad you're enjoying it,_ Paul's sardonic voice broke in.

_Well, we __**were**__._

_Whatever. Jake, your dad was calling around for you. Bella called a little while ago, and they're about ready for you to go do your pack-mule thing. Said you'd know where to meet up._

_Yeah, I do. Everything okay?_

_Yep. Enjoy the clean air while you can. Oh, just so you know, the weather's supposed to be a killer tonight. Major blizzard._

I didn't dignify his comment with a reply. _See you guys at the party._

_Take care, Jake,_ Quil and Embry each gave me a nudge before turning for home.

_You, too,_ I replied as my stride lengthened. I had to run back to the garage for a minute, after what Paul had said—if it was going to snow tonight, Bella would probably need something to keep her warm. Errand accomplished, I headed out. I did know where I was going: the meadow where the battle was going to take place. Bella would have laid her fake trail by now, and it was my job to get her to the campsite where she would wait out the fight. I was guessing that she wouldn't be alone, though I still couldn't believe she'd talked—or guilted—him into sitting out.

My nose told me he was close, so I stopped and phased back human.

"Where are we meeting Jacob?" I heard Bella ask. I stepped out from the forest shadows, and saw her look of surprise. _Wonder what that's about?_ Seeing him again…it still burned to know Bella was choosing him and his life over me and what I could give her. I knew he could hear what I was thinking, even though my face was in its practiced mask.

"There had to be a better way to do this," he muttered, clearly no happier about our current situation than I was.

"Too late now," Bella answered him. To me, she said, "Hey, Jake."

"Hi, Bella." Despite everything, I _was_ glad to see her.

"Hello, Jacob." I ignored him, instead focusing on the mission at hand. "Where do I take her?"

Cullen pulled a map out of the backpack slung over his shoulder, handing it to me. I unfolded it and saw a view of the Olympic Peninsula, the mountains and National Park. "We're here now," he pointed to a spot on the map. I couldn't help myself, and jerked away automatically, not happy to be so close to my natural enemy. I knew they both noticed, but was grateful when neither said anything. His finger returned to the map and traced a zig-zag route up into the mountains. "You're taking her up here, roughly nine miles."

_Piece of cake,_ I thought, nodding in acknowledgement.

"When you're about a mile out, you should cross my path. That will lead you in. Do you need the map?"

_Please. Give me a break!_ "No, thanks. I know this area pretty well. I think I know where I'm going." I didn't like it, but I did know where he'd be. I also knew that my tone wasn't exactly polite. It was as good as it was going to be where he was concerned, though, so I could only hope that'd be enough.

"I'll take a longer route, and I'll see you in a few hours." He'd addressed this part to Bella.

"See you," she said, watching as he turned away and headed in the opposite direction from the one we'd be taking. Just seeing him leave made my mood take a jump.

"What's up, Bella?" I couldn't help the grin spreading across my face. She rolled her eyes at me.

"Same old, same old."

"Yeah, buncha vampires trying to kill you. Just the usual."

"The usual," she agreed. Freaky, how she'd think killer bloodsuckers were normal. I pulled the jacket on, not because I needed it, but just to free up my arms for a more enjoyable burden.

"Well, let's get going." Before she knew what was going on, I swept Bella off balance, catching her neatly well before she'd've hit the ground, and immediately starting to jog in the right direction.

"Jerk," she muttered, with only a little annoyance. "You don't have to run—you'll get tired."

As if. "Running doesn't make me tired," I disagreed. And it didn't. We could run for hours if we needed to, endurance being one of the advantages to what we'd become. "Besides, it'll be colder soon. I hope he gets the camp set up before we get there." He might not feel the cold any more than I would, but Bella sure would. Which was another reason for me wearing the coat right now; hopefully my 108 degree body temperature would saturate the coat for her.

Bella seemed to have just noticed my parka. "I thought you didn't get cold now."

"I don't. I brought this for you, just in case you weren't prepared." Well, she was wearing a jacket of her own, but I wasn't sure that was going to be enough. "I don't like the way the weather feels. It's making me edgy. Notice how we haven't seen any animals?"

"Um, not really." I wasn't too surprised at that—an outdoor girl Bella definitely wasn't. I shrugged it off, knowing her human senses weren't as keen as mine.

"Alice was worried about the storm, too." Great, the psychic was concerned, too.

"It takes a lot to silence the forest this way. You picked a hell of a night for a camping trip." Figures though, with Bella's luck, that it _would_ have to be on an unseasonably cold night.

B_e_lla seemed to share my sentiment. "It wasn't entirely my idea."

We were silent for a while, comfortably so, and I focused a little more on the terrain. Not that I really needed to, but I didn't want to risk dropping her and having her roll halfway back down the mountain. Seeing that the path ahead was clear, I glanced down at the girl in my arms and noticed she was wearing my bracelet again. It sent a surge of warmth through me, seeing proof that she'd meant what she said when I'd given it to her. I was a little confused, however, to see a clear heart dangling from it instead of my wolf. "What's with the addition to your bracelet?"

Bella shrugged in my grasp. "Another graduation present."

I snorted. Looked like the leech was trying to stake his claim even firmer. He obviously wasn't going to fight with Bella about her wearing the bracelet; no, he had to get clever and insist on his own charm. "A rock. That figures." Appropriate, given that he was stone himself. Bella didn't answer me, suddenly lost in her thoughts—thoughts of him, most likely. _Well, let's see what I can do about that._ "So it's been a while since you came down to La Push."

"I've been busy," she evaded. "And I probably wouldn't have visited anyway." That burned. I mentally kicked myself again for what I'd said the last time she'd visited, the time she'd ridden away on the motorcycle we'd rebuilt. After I'd taken my foot and shoved it clear down past my stomach: _Better you be dead than one of them_, I'd told her. Damn it, _why_ had I said something like that? Why hadn't I realized that if I kept thing up, eventually I'd come up against some kind of threshold?

"I thought you were supposed to be the forgiving one, and I was the grudge-holder." Maybe, somehow, I could work my way back into her good graces just the same. She shrugged again. "Been thinking about that last time a lot, have you?" I tried again.

"Nope." Not good, if she was just going with one-word answers. I laughed it off.

"Either you're lying—" possible, though she usually wasn't good at it—"or you are the stubbornest person alive."

"I don't know about the second part, but I'm not lying." I was getting the feeling that Bella wasn't too happy about the current situation either.

"A smart person looks at all sides of a decision." Not that I didn't think Bella was smart and perceptive, but she had a real blind spot where this guy was concerned, and she was just plain and simple making the wrong choice here.

"I have," she shot back.

I shook my head. "Some people will go to any lengths to delude themselves."

"I've noticed that werewolves in particular are prone to that mistake—do you think it's genetic?"

"Is he a better kisser than I am?" Depressing and demoralizing if that was true.

"I really couldn't say, Jake," Bella told me. "Edward is the only person I've ever kissed."

_What?_ "You mean, besides me."

"I don't count that as a kiss, Jacob.I think of it more as an assault." Damn, she was still mad at me about that. I'd already apologized, what more did she want?

"Ouch, that's cold." Bella didn't seem moved, though.

"I did apologize," I reminded her.

"And I forgave you, mostly. It doesn't change how I remember it."

"What does a guy have to do to catch a break around here?" I muttered, so low that I didn't think she heard me. I didn't want us to get into another argument, so I kept quiet for a while, double-checking to make sure I wasn't getting off-track, following the curve of a sheer cliff face. As I moved, I was trying to think of another way to make my case, while not getting Bella's back up about not respecting her right to make decisions.

"I still think it's pretty irresponsible," I broke the silence after a while. Bella rather vehemently disagreed. She didn't buy my 'playing the field' argument either, any more than I really thought she'd stand by and let Edward Cullen break my jaw. "If you _ask_ me to kiss you," I suggested, "he won't have any reason to be upset."

"Don't hold your breath, Jake," Bella snapped. "No, wait, I changed my mind. Go right ahead. Just hold your breath until I ask you to kiss me."

"You're in a bad mood today."

"I wonder why," Bella retorted.

"Sometimes I think you like me better as a wolf." Like at her graduation party, I wasn't above trying a little manipulation. Especially to get her to see, and admit, something she was refusing to.

"Sometimes I do," she admitted. "It probably has something to do with the way you can't talk." She emphasized the last two words.

My lips pursed. _No, no._ "I don't think that's it. I think it's easier for you to be near me when I'm not human because you don't have to admit you're attracted to me." My comment was followed by a pop and then a snap, as her mouth first fell open and then closed.

She then tried to deny that she was nervous around me, saying it was irritation instead. I strongly considered proving her wrong, but changed my mind when she said "It's your face," in a tone that said she _would_ tell him about it and _would_ stand by. I laughed to cover it up.

"I don't really want to fight with your vampire tonight—I mean, any other night, sure. But we both have a job to do tomorrow, and I don't want to leave the Cullens one short." Bella's face twisted at that; she was probably trying not to say she wasn't worried about _that_. "I know, I know. You think he could take me." She didn't offer a snappy comeback or anything at all, for that matter. To be honest, her immobility was starting to freak me out just a little. "What's the matter with you, Bella? If something I upset you, I was only kidding. I didn't mean—are you okay. Don't cry," I was begging now. I didn't want to be the one to hurt her.

"I'm not going to cry." Bella was all about not seeming weak.

"What did I say?"

"It's not anything you said. It's me. I did something…bad."

I was confused. Bella didn't do bad. She was, with the exception of her crazy runs to Phoenix and Italy, the perfectly behaved only daughter of a cop. After a moment, she whispered, "Edward isn't going to fight tomorrow. I'm making him stay with me. I'm such a coward."

That was it? She was upset because her leech boyfriend was going to stay with her instead of fight? But, why had she asked him to that to begin with, then? "You think this plan isn't going to work? That they'll find you here? Do you know something I don't?"

"No, I'm not afraid of that. I just can't let him go. If he didn't come back…" her eyes squeezed shut, but not before I saw the pain in them, a faint echo of the look she'd had during the time he'd been gone. There wasn't anything I could say to that. As much as I hated him, a part of me didn't want him gone if that would bring the zombie Bella back. She went on about feeling guilty if someone got hurt, and for knowing she could guilt him like this.

"I can't believe he let you talk him out of going. I wouldn't miss this for anything."

"I know."

Okay, that stung, so I hurried on, "Doesn't mean anything, though. That doesn't mean he loves you more than I do."

"But _you_ wouldn't stay even if I begged you to."

I'd have loved to deny that, but we both knew I'd be lying if I did. I'd said it myself just a minute ago. _I wouldn't miss this for anything._ "Everything's going to go without a hitch."

"You're probably right. But the whole time you're gone, I'll be sick with worry."

"Why?" That threw me a little. What would it matter to her if I _did_ get hurt?—she'd chosen _him_.

"Don't say that. You know how much you mean to me. I'm sorry it's not in the way you want, but that's the way it is. You're my best friend—at least you used to be."

"I'm always that," I threw her my trademark smirk—the one from before, before everything had changed for both of us. "Even when I don't behave like I should, I'm still in here."

"Why do you think I put up with your crap?" She started to laugh, and for a moment things were good and just like they'd been when it was just us.

I laughed with her, but couldn't help feeling sad at the same time. Why couldn't I just get her to admit what was right there, what was so blantant? "When are you going to figure out that you're in love with me, too?"

"Leave you to ruin the moment."

"I'm not saying you don't love him. I'm not stupid. But you can love more than one person at a time, Bella." I'd seen it happen, with Sam.

"I'm not some freaky werewolf," Bella retorted. Damn, that was a low blow. It was probably a good thing that I picked up Cullen's scent just then; anything I might say to Bella would probably—certainly—be the wrong thing. I simultaneously noticed that the sky over the mountains had turned dark and dangerous during our climb. That storm was coming, and coming fast and hard.

"We're not far. I can smell him." She sighed, and I could guess it was in relief that I'd be putting her down. "I'd happily slow down, Bella, but you're going to want to be under shelter before that hits.

"Wow, you'd better hurry, Jake. You'll want to get home before that gets here." Bella's tone was anxious, as if she really was worried about me.

"I'm not going home."

Bella glared at me, and I knew she'd have her hands on her hips if her feet were on the ground. "You're not camping with us," she insisted.

"Not technically," I agreed. "I prefer the storm to the smell. But I'm sure your bloodsucker will want to keep in touch with the pack for coordination purposes, which service I will graciously provide."

"I thought that was Seth's job," she said, suspicious.

"He'll take over tomorrow, during the fight." Not that he was happy about it, by any means. But we'd laid down the law, Sam and I. Seth wasn't getting anywhere near the fight. That decision had been the first time in quite a while—maybe ever—that Leah had thought well of either of us.

Bella made a half-hearted suggestion that I stay out of it, too, since I was here, but neither of us took it seriously. We knew each other too well for that. "There's nothing I can say?" she asked.

"Nope. Anyway, Sam's calling the shots, not me." Which didn't bother me 99% of the time.

"Edward told me something the other day," Bella said, seemingly out of nowhere. "It's about you."

"Probably a lie," I was irritated by that.

"Really? You aren't second in command, then?"

I blinked for a second, confused and surprised. How had he figured that out? After another few seconds, I figured it out: someone had probably been thinking about it during one of the practices. "Oh, that." We spent the last part of our trip discussing why I hadn't mentioned it before, talking about old great-grandpa Ephraim, and why Sam was Alpha instead of me.

"Sam didn't want to step down?" she asked.

"Hardly," I held back another snort. "I didn't want to step up." Which was true. I'd been so pissed off at becoming a wolf, and having to stay away from Bella, that I'd lost it the couple times Sam had brought the issue up. Eventually, I'd made it clear I wouldn't take the job no matter what, and he hadn't mentioned it since. Sam was a much better Alpha that I could be, of that I felt sure.

Any further discussion was terminated when a strong gust of wind hit us, feeling like a blast straight from the North Pole, swirling around the small flakes of snow that were just starting to fall. I kept my eyes glued to the ground, sprinting full-out, racing to get Bella to shelter. Within minutes, I rounded the last curve of the trail and saw a small tent tucked up against the face of another cliff. The bloodsucker looked up from pacing a path in front of it. "Bella," he called, blurring with speed as he raced from where he'd been to where we were. I couldn't help cringing away again, trying to cover it by setting Bella carefully on the ground. I was pretty sure it caught it again, but ignored it in favor of hugging Bella close. "Thank you," he told me, with an astounding degree of sincerity. I shrugged off his appreciation of my speed. If it hadn't been for the weather, I'd have taken as long as I possibly could to get here.

"Get her inside." My voice was cold and formal. This is going to be bad." My nostrils flared as I inhaled the scent of the storm. Bad indeed. "I'm going to change. I want to know what's going on back home." I pulled off the parka I'd worn, hanging it on a branch in easy reaching distance of the tent, and headed for the woods to phase.

_Jacob,_ Sam's thoughts touched mine in relief. _Where are you?_

_Just made it to the campsite. Beat the storm by a few minutes._

_You're staying there?_ It was obvious Sam didn't think that was a good idea. Not that he was worried I'd freeze to death, or anything.

_I'm just staying until Seth gets here in the morning._

Sam didn't seem to disagree with my communication idea. _Alright, Jacob. That's your call. We'll be trading off patrols around here, so there'll be someone listening if you call out. _I could see that Sam, Paul, and Jared would be trading off shifts overnight; as the eldest wolves, they had the most endurance and could get by with less sleep than some of the newer wolves.

_Sure, sure. See you tomorrow._ I felt Sam's thoughts fade away a little, and I tried to settle down. I wasn't expecting to sleep, but I owed it to myself and the rest of the pack to try and at least rest a little if I could.

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Hope this was worth your time. It really flowed once I got started, and maybe it'll help me get through the writer's block with "Wolf and his Girl".


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Well, here's another chapter. Hope the length makes up for the delay. Lots of dialogue here (thanks SM), but I hope you enjoy this look at the other side of the conversation, the parts that Bella didn't hear. Had this started a while back, but pushed it to the back burner with school, etc. Hoping this will give me a little jump start toward the big battle in my other story.

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Jake POV

I'd spent the last little while patrolling among the trees, where the whirling snow wasn't blowing quite so hard. The howl of the wind did nothing, though, to cover the sound of Bella's teeth chattering. This campout idea of the leech's definitely hadn't been his best-she was rattling so loudly, she sounded like a box of Chinese checkers.

"W-w-w-what t-t-t-time is it?" she gasped between shivers.

"Two," the leech answered her.

"Maybe..." I knew he was going to try to persuade her again to leave, and I also knew it wasn't going to work any better than it had the last dozen times he'd tried.

"No, I'm f-f-f-fine, r-r-r-really. I don't w-w-w-want to g-go o-o-outside."

"What can I do?" Cullen practically begged her this time.

I whined. _Be smart for once, and get Bella someplace warm. She's going to freeze._ Predictably, she misunderstood me.

"G-g-get out of h-h-here," she tried to order me.

_I'm worried about you, Bella, not me. I'm just fine. Nice and toasty._ _ I do have a fur coat, after all_.

Cullen translated for me, fairly accurately this time.

_Thanks, now why don't you do something about getting her warmed up before she turns into an icicle?_

"What do you want me to do?" he retorted with a growl. "Carry her through that? I don't see you making yourself useful. Why don't you go fetch a space heater or something?"

"I'm ok-k-k-k-kay," Bella chattered. Cullen groaned and I growled. She wasn't okay by any stretch of the imagination.

_You want me to do something? Okay, then I will. Want a space heater? Got one right here. _However much enjoyment I out of thinking how _I _could get Bella warm, I wasn't so far gone to forget about strategy. _Who's up?_

_I am,_ Seth replied. _Paul, too._

_If he can manage without you, I need you to head over here now. _

_Trouble?_ Paul's thoughts were full of excitement.

_Just Bella trying to freeze to death. Got to get her warmed up. Can't keep watch at the same time._

_On the way,_ Seth put action to words and started heading my way. I phased back to human and headed for the tent, grabbing my parka as I went.

"That was hardly necessary," he muttered, then more loudly. "And that's the worst idea I've ever heard." I'd known he wouldn't like it. Part of the fun, in my opinion.

"Better than anything you've come up with," I shot back as I unzipped the tent door to come inside. "_Go fetch a space heater._ I'm not a St. Bernard." Despite my efforts, some of the wind followed me in, and Bella's whole body shook.

"I don't like this." Like I cared what the leech did or didn't like. I ignored him as I zipped the tent door shut behind me—no sense letting more cold air in. "Just give her the coat and leave."

"The parka's for tomorrow," I retorted. "She's too cold to warm it up by herself. It's frozen. You said she needed a space heater, and here I am."

"J-j-j-j-Jake, you'll f-f-freeze," Bella stuttered. So typical: worried about me running around in a pair of shorts, when she was bundled up like a papoose and yet still in danger of freezing to death.

"Not me. I run a toasty one-oh-eight point nine these days. I'll have you sweating in no time." Maybe not the way I'd like, but I'd take what I could get. Leech didn't appreciate that thought, growling at me. I ignored him, heading for Bella and her sleeping bag. He _really_ didn't like that, grabbing my shoulder with his icy hand. My jaw clenched against the urge to growl back at him, and my body involuntarily flinched from the temperature difference. I wanted so badly to attack him, but didn't dare, not with Bella between us. "Get your hand off of me," I bit out.

"Keep _your_ hands off _her_," was his reply.

"D-d-don't f-f-f-fight," Bella begged.

"I'm sure she'll thank you for this when her toes turn black and fall off," I snapped. _Sheesh, it's not like I'm going to take advantage of her or anything. Can't you think of what's best for her right now? _Apparently he could; he let go of me and moved toward the opposite corner of the tent. Not far enough, in my opinion, but probably the best I'd get.

"Watch yourself." If he was going for emotionless, well, I knew better.

"Scoot over, Bella," I told her. The light finally went on and she figured out what the leech and I had been arguing over. Her protest was inarticulate, and ignored. "Don't be stupid. Don't you like having ten toes?" I slid in next to her and zipped the sleeping bag back up. I knew her mind wanted to argue the point, but her body instantly pressed against mine. I couldn't help a wince as her cold fingers tucked between my body and my arms. "Jeez, you're freezing, Bells."

"S-s-s-sorry."

"Just try to relax. You'll be warm in a minute. 'Course, you'd warm up faster if you took your clothes off." Neither of them appreciated my survival tip, though. I just _knew_ the bloodsucker had to be jealous of me right now and told Bella so.

"Of course I am," he agreed smoothly. "You don't have the faintest idea how much I wish I could do what you're doing for her, mongrel." _Well, that's uncalled-for. _

"Those are the breaks," I wanted to gloat. But I couldn't. "At least you know she wishes it _was_ you."

"True." While we'd debated, Bella's shaking had started to slow down. She was even starting to warm up some.

"Feeling better?" I asked.

"Yes." For the first time tonight, she wasn't stuttering when she tried to talk.

"Your lips are still blue. Want me to warm them up for you, too? Just ask." I wasn't above reminding her that it would only take her asking me.

"Behave yourself," Bella scolded me. She more than got back at me for taunting the leech when she pressed her face against my shoulder. Man, that was cold. She was more relaxed now, able to stretch out for even more body contact. Hopefully, she'd relax enough to get some sleep. I was about wondering if she actually had fallen asleep when she mumbled, "Jake? Can I ask you something? I'm not trying to be a jerk or anything, I'm honestly curious." I recognized my own words from the last time I'd been at her place, when we'd argued over her post-graduation plans.

"Sure."

"Why are you so much furrier than your friends?" Only hours away from a big fight, and she was wondering about my fur? She really was strange.

"Because my hair is longer." It was pretty simple, really. Short fur was easier to manage, since things weren't as likely to get caught up in it. Big part of why we cut our hair short after we phased.

"Then why don't you cut it?" Man, I was embarrassed now. There _was_ a reason I'd started letting my hair grow out again; I just wasn't sure I wanted to share it. The leech obviously picked it up, and laughed almost silently. "Sorry. You don't have to tell me," Bella offered. I was tempted, but I knew it'd only take one word from her for him to just say it anyway.

"Oh, he'll tell you anyway," I snorted. "I was growing my hair out because…it seemed like you liked it better long." Either that, or she'd liked me better back then, back before this whole wolf-thing had come between us.

As typical, Bella tried to apologize, but I shook it off. "Turns out it was convenient tonight, so don't worry about it."

Her breathing started to even out, and I figured she was probably warm enough by now that sleep was a really possibility. "Go to sleep," I whispered.

"Seth is here," Cullen told me.

"Perfect. Now you can keep an eye on everything else, while I take care of your girlfriend." Not that I didn't expect him to keep his other eye firmly on me.

Bella's body was relaxed now, inside the curve of my body. Even knowing he'd pick up everything, I couldn't help thinking about what could have been, what I'd give anything to have happened. _If only I could have imprinted on Bella, then none of this would be happening. We'd be in love, be—_I couldn't help picturing us in situations like I'd seen with Sam and Emily, with Jared and Kim… walking on the beach, cuddling on the couch watching movies…sneaking away for a make-out session…

"Please! Do you mind?" he hissed.

"What?" I tried for surprise, even though we both knew better.

"Do you think you could at least _attempt_ to control your thoughts?" His voice was a furious whisper, in consideration of Bella.

"No one said you had to listen. Get out of my head."I wasn't sorry for what I was dreaming of, but I was a little embarrassed that he now knew some private things about my pack-mates.

"I wish I could. You have no idea how loud your little fantasies are. It's like you're shouting them at me."

"I'll try to keep it down." I couldn't really help it though, and didn't really want to. Thinking about the ways I could be close to Bella where he couldn't was a lot more fun.

"Yes, I'm jealous of that, too."

"Figured it was like that," I couldn't help feeling smug. "Evens up the playing field, doesn't it?"

"In your dreams." He chuckled, low and dark.

"You know, she could still change her mind. Considering all the things I could do with her that you can't; not without killing her, that is." The slightest bit too much pressure, and he could easily bruise her, break bones…

"Go to sleep, Jacob. You're starting to get on my nerves," Cullen's voice was still irritated with me, even if he was being quiet for Bella's sake.

"I think I will. I'm very comfortable." If I hadn't been worried about waking Bella up, I'd've stretched and gloated. I wondered if I could…nothing ventured, nothing gained. _Hey, leech. If I ask you something, would you actually answer?_

"Maybe I would."

Yeah, right. "But would you be honest?"

"You can always ask and see." He sounded amused, though I wasn't sure at what.

"Well, you see inside my head—let me see inside yours tonight, it's only fair."

"Your head is _full_ of questions. Which one do you want me to answer?"

How to choose? There were so many things I wanted to know. I thought for a second, then picked the most immediate thing I could think of. "The jealousy…it has to be eating at you. You can't be as sure of yourself as you look—unless you don't have any emotions." I knew, if he were one of my pack brothers, I'd had been ripped apart already for what I was doing.

His face tightened just perceptively. "Of course it is. Right now, it's so bad I can barely control my voice. It's even worse when she's away from me, with you, and I can't see her." Right—his psychic sister couldn't see us wolves, or Bella if she was on the rez.

"Do you think about it all the time?" I wondered. "Does it make it hard to concentrate when she's not with you?" I knew that was true for my imprinted brethren; was it true for leeches, too?

"Yes and no," His honesty surprised me. "I can think of many things at once; so, of course, that means I'm _always_ able to think of_ you_, to wonder if that's where her mind is when she's being quiet."

_Right, you can't hear her thoughts. Wonder if she __**is**__ thinking about me then, like I do with her_.

"Yes, I'd guess she thinks about you often. More often than I'd like. She worries that you're unhappy. Not that you don't know that, or use that."

Point taken. Heck, only a few days ago, I'd used it to get her to accept the bracelet I'd bought her and the charm I'd made. "I have to use whatever advantages I can," I muttered. He knew that already, of course. "I'm not working with your advantages—like knowing she's in love with you."

"That helps," he agreed. Of course it would. Knowing Bella loved him, loved him enough to die, he could probably afford to watch me make a fool of myself. But still…

"She's in love with me, too." My tone was quiet but defiant. She cared, I knew she did. She wouldn't have been pushing for us to get along, to keep coming to visit even over his protests, if she didn't care. He didn't say anything, and I could see the scowl on his face. "But she doesn't know it," I finished.

"I can't tell if you're right," That really had to bug him: the idea that I might be right about this. Since he was being talkative right now, I figured I had nothing to lose by actually asking the question.

"Does that bother you? Do you wish you could see what she's thinking?"

He sighed. "Again, yes and no. She likes it better this way, and even though it sometimes drives me crazy, I'd rather she be happy." I hated to, but I couldn't help drawing the comparison between the wolves and their imprints. Sam and Jared weren't always happy with what Emily and Kim wanted to do, but they pretty much always gave in before the end.

Our conversation was interrupted by another, stronger blast of wind against the sides of the tent. Almost out of reflex, I pulled Bella just a little bit closer to me so my heat could keep the renewed chill away.

"Thank you," Cullen whispered, and there actually was gratitude in his golden eyes. "Odd as this might sound, I'm glad you're here, Jacob." _Yeah right you are._

"You mean, 'as much as I'd love to kill you right now, I'm glad she's warm,' right?" I was sure that had to be it.

"It's an uncomfortable truce, isn't it?" He observed. I got his point. The only reason we were cooperating, the only reason we weren't fighting this out, was the dark-haired girl asleep in my arms—that, and the fact that we had a much bigger problem coming our way. He'd given me another answer, too, maybe without meaning to.

"I _knew_ you were just as jealous as I am," I really couldn't help being smug about it. I brushed off his retort about how letting Bella know how I felt wasn't helping my cause any, instead of letting her figure it out for herself. "I'm not that patient."

"I should be. I've had a hundred years of waiting for her."

"So at what point did you decide to play the patient good guy?" That actually was something I'd been wondering about. He'd switched pretty quickly from doing whatever he could to keep Bella away from La Push, to suddenly driving her to the treaty-line personally. I knew I was getting into personal territory here, but I really wanted to know.

"When I saw how it was hurting her to make her choose."

"I think you were just worried that if you really forced her to choose, she might not pick you." One thing I knew about Bella was that she _hated_ not being given the choice about something. Didn't matter if you knew for sure which way she'd go, she still expected to be asked and given the chance to speak for herself.

He was quiet for a while, and I took the chance to look down at Bella. Her eyes were closed and her breathing even. Her skin was warming up, too. "That was part of it," he finally answered me. "We all have our moments of doubt. Mostly," his lips quirked wryly, "I was afraid she'd hurt herselftrying to sneak away to see you. After I accepted that she was as safe with you as she ever is, it seemed best to stop driving her to extremes." Yeah, extremes like jumping on the back of my motorcycle and skipping school.

"What would you do if she _did_ change her mind?"

"I don't know."

"Would you try to kill me?" I was sarcastic. _Think you could take down the entire pack?_

"No." His answer was firm and quick.

"Why?" I didn't buy that—he'd have to want me dead if I stole her away from him.

"Do you really think I'd hurt her that way?"

That rocked me back, mentally. I knew he was right. I just didn't see him being so cruel as to do that to her, even if he did want to do it to me. "Yeah, you're right. But sometimes…"

"It's an intriguing thought." We had to be on the same wave-length her, that instinctive male urge to fight things out over a female. I bit my lip hard, and twisted so my mouth was covered by the sleeping bag, to keep from laughing aloud. I didn't want to wake Bella up.

More silence, but not as awkward as it could have been. I sifted through my thoughts and questions again, trying to see what other questions I might be able to ask him and get answered. I thought back to that day a few months ago, when I'd almost had everything in my grasp before her past had returned with a vengeance. I remembered that phone call I'd taken, and everything that had followed because of it. "What was it like, losing her?" My voice was suddenly hoarse, filled with the realization that if I _didn't_ manage to change Bella's mind, I'd befinding this out for myself. "When you thought you'd lost her forever? How did you cope?"

"That's very difficult for me to talk about." His voice was low and pained, a pain I saw echoed on his face. I waited him out. "There were two times that I thought that. The first time, when I thought I could leave her…that was…almost bearable." Cullen's eyes darkened with the memory. "I thought she would forget me and it would be like I hadn't touched her life." I almost snorted at that: had he really thought she'd forget? "For six months I was able to stay away, to not interfere. It was getting close—I was fighting, but knew I wouldn't be able to win. I would have told myself I was just coming back to check on her. If I'd found her fairly happy, I like to think I could have gone away again." He met my gaze, with an honesty in his own I hadn't seen before.

"But she wasn't happy. And I would have stayed. That's how she convinced me to stay with her tomorrow. You were wondering about that before—" I had been, and had resigned myself to him not answering the question. Did make sense she could have played the guilt card on him, but I was a little surprised she actually _had_: guilt trips weren't her usual style—"what could motivate me, why she was feeling guilty. She reminded me what it did to her when I left—what it still does to her when I leave. She feels horrible about bringing it up, but she's right. I'll never be able to make up for that, but I'll never stop trying anyway."

I sat there for a while, thinking. I got the feeling the mountain I'd been trying to climb had just jumped from being Mt. Rainier to being Mt. Everest. He was probably willing to agree to anything Bella could possibly want, to try and earn her forgiveness. It might take him the rest of eternity to manage it. I remembered how bad she'd been when he'd been gone those six months, and if she was still like that, knowing he was back…

"And the other time—when you thought she was dead?" I couldn't get that question out in anything louder than a whisper. This was the question I wondered about most right now. Because I really was afraid I'd be finding out for myself. If everyone survived this fight, and Bella really did go through with her crazy plan to become a vampire, she'd be changing into my immortal enemy, into the thing my kind was born and bred to destroy. Could I possibly look at her and see my friend, and not see something I wanted to kill? Everything we'd ever shared would be swept away by that new reality.

"Yes, it probably will feel like that for you, won't it? The way you perceive things, you might not be able to see her as Bella anymore. But that's who she'll be.

"That's not what I asked." I was angry that he'd answered the questions I was thinking, the ones I didn't think had any answers. I needed to know how I was supposed to feel when Bella was as good as dead.

"I can't tell you," he almost snapped. "There aren't words."

My arms tightened slightly and reflexively around her. There might not be words for it, but he'd still done it somehow. Why couldn't he find some way to explain this? "But you left because you didn't want her to become a bloodsucker. You _want_ her to be human." It was obvious to me that this whole plan was Bella's idea. It made me angry again that I just couldn't figure out why he was going along with it if he hated the idea so much.

Maybe he realized that, because he actually did try to explain the options he'd tried to consider. "Jacob, from the second I realized that I loved her, I knew there were only four choices for me. The first, and best for Bella, would be if she didn't feel as strongly for me and was able to move on. I'd accept that, though it would never change how I felt…The second alternative, the one I chose originally, was to stay with her throughout her human life. It wasn't good for her, but it was the one I could most easily face. I knew all along that she died I would find a way to die, too. But it proved too dangerous for her to live in such proximity with my world; I was scared I wouldn't get those years with her if I stayed. So I chose option three. Which turned out to be the worst mistake of my very long life. I took myself out of her world and hope it would force her into the first option. It didn't work and very nearly killed us both."

I flashed back to the day at the cliff. Was it possible that Bella had gone there not to wait for me, not to have fun as we'd planned, but with the intention of killing herself? She'd very nearly managed it regardless, but had that been her plan?

He didn't seem to notice my thoughts, or at least wasn't acknowledging them. "What do I have left but the fourth option? It's what she wants, or thinks she does. I've been trying to delay, give her time to find a reason to change her mind, but she's very stubborn." Boy, did I know that. I couldn't argue with his assessment that he was almost out of time to convince her differently.

"I like option one," I told him. "You know _exactly_ how much I hate to admit this…but I can see that you do love her, in your way. I can't argue with that anymore." And I couldn't. Seeing the way he looked just now, after having remembered this past year, I couldn't think of him as an uncaring stone statue. Or if he was a statue, it was one under assault by the force known as Bella Swan. "But don't give up on the first alternative yet. It might still work You know, if she hadn't jumped off that cliff, and if you had waited that other six months, you might have come back to see that she _was_ actually happy. I had a plan." I thought over some of the things I'd been planning, my slow and steady course, easing Bella into the idea of her and me.

"Maybe it would have worked," Cullen surprised me again by laughing softly.

"Yeah," I suddenly couldn't help the flood of words that poured out. "Give me a year, bl—Edward. I really think I could make her happy. She could heal, be human with her parents, grow up and have kids…You love her enough that you have to see the advantages of this plan. Can you consider the idea that I might be better for her than you are?"

"I have considered that," he admitted. "In some ways, you would be better suited, and you're strong enough that you could protect her from herself and everything else. You _have_ done that already, and I'll owe you for that as long as I live. I even asked Alice if she could see that, see if Bella would be better off with you instead of me. She couldn't, of course. She can't see you, and Bella is sure about her path for now. But I'm not stupid enough to make the same decision again, Jacob. As long as she wants me, I'm here."

"And if she were to decide that she wanted me?" I challenged. His sickeningly perfect eyebrows rose with justifiable skepticism. "Okay, I'll give you that it's a long shot."

"I would let her go."

"Just like that?' Personally, I found that really hard to believe.

"I'd never show her how hard it was for me. But I would keep watch. You see, Jacob, _you_ might leave _her_ someday. I would always be waiting, hoping for that to happen." It was infuriating, if inescapably true, that he was right. If I did imprint on someone else, I wouldn't have a choice in it, any more than Sam had been able to help breaking Leah's heart when he'd left her for Emily.

"Well, you've been much more honest than I had a right to expect, Edward. Thanks for letting me into your head." I was grateful, in a way. Not that I liked him any better, but it was something to know that he hadn't been trying to destroy Bella when he'd left, that he had actually be trying to look out for her, even if it was in the worse possible way.

"As I said, I've feeling oddly grateful for your presence in her life, tonight. It was the least I could do. You know, if it wasn't for the fact that we're natural enemies, and you're trying to steal away my reason to exist, I might actually like you, Jacob Black." Uh-huh.

"Maybe if you weren't a vampire planning to suck the life out of the girl I love…nope, not even then." He smirked and shook his head, and I knew he got what I meant.

"Can I ask _you_ something?" Edward inquired. I wasn't sure I really wanted a game of 'turn around is fair play', even if he had been better than expected tonight. "Why would you have to ask?" It wasn't like he didn't already have a direct line into my thoughts.

"I can only hear it if you think of it." Okay, good to know. Anything we didn't want him to know about, we just had to not think about. Easier said than done, of course, but still, good to know. "It's just a story Bella seemed reluctant to tell me about the other day. Something about a third wife?"

Third wife? Oh yeah, the elders had told that story at the bonfire we'd invited Bella to attend. I thought back to that night and to the story..._Taha Aki and his jealous spirit warrior Utlapa...how Taha Aki had asked to share the body of a wolf…how Taha Aki had become so angered by something that he'd burst out of the wolf's body and become a man again, defeating Utlapa. "From that point on, Taha Aki was more than either wolf or man. He led the tribe for many years, for he did not age. When danger threatened, he would resume his wolf-self to fight or frighten the enemy. Taha Aki fathered many sons, and some found that they too could transform into wolves…Taha Aki's son Taha Wi led the pack out to investigate trouble among the Makah. Only one came back. The appearance of a vampire and of how Taha Aki's third wife bought him a distraction in his battle against the vampire's mate, shoving a knife into her heart…_

I was brought out of my memories when Cullen hissed in anger.

"What?"

"I wish your elders had kept that story to themselves."

What a hypocrite! "You don't like the leeches being painted as bad guys?" _Too bad._

"I really couldn't care less about that part," he brushed my mockery aside. "Can't you guess which character Bella would identify with?" It took a minute, then, _Crap!_ I could guess, all too easily. Bella, like the third wife, a human surrounded by the supernatural. The fragile, non-magical girl helping to defeat the immortal monster.

"Okay, ugh. The third wife."

She wants to be there in the clearing, to do what she can to help." I guessed we were both thinking back to his brother's idea the other, day, of Bella being a living lure straight to the battlefield. Obviously, the idea had stuck in her head from that as much as from our story. "That's the second reason I'm staying with her tomorrow—she's quite inventive when she wants something."

"So when does our little truce end, Edward? First light? Or wait till after the fight?" We both thought about it. First priority was keeping Bella warm and alive, and that'd be over by dawn. During the battle, we wouldn't be anywhere near each other…

"First light." Both of us laughed a little at that.

"Sleep well and enjoy the moment, Jacob," his clear implication 'while it lasts' didn't require being said aloud. Well, if he insisted…I finally relaxed, relishing the sensation of Bella's body curled up inside the curve of my own in the sleeping bag. "I didn't mean that literally," he groaned.

"Sorry," although I wasn't, not really. "You could leave, give us privacy."

"Would you like me to help you sleep?" he lifted one hand slightly.

"You could try." I wasn't worried about it; we still had our truce tonight. "It'd be interesting to see who walks away." More interesting if Bella wasn't anywhere around to get upset or try to interfere.

"Don't tempt me, wolf."

"I'd rather not move just now, if you don't mind." I reminded him why I was where I was at the moment.

He didn't respond, just started humming some song. It wasn't anything I recognized, but sounded almost like some kind of lullaby. I was sure he was directing it at Bella and not me, but either way, I soon drifted off to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

AN: To the faithful few followers of this story, thank you, and sorry for the length of time between chapters. The last few semesters in school have been very busy, and my limited time and creativity for anything other than school went into updates for my other story. But, I'm done with grad school now, and my first story, and I'm going to plug away at this one until it's done.

This chapter has a lot of material that I wrote well over a year ago, and then put aside. My original title for that work was "Eavesdroppers Never Hear Anything Good" and showed Jacob listening in while Bella/Edward had their "best nights" chat in the tent. It seemed to fit well with doing a Jacob/pack pov story for Eclipse, so that story nibble I wrote way-back-when is now incorporated here.

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Jake POV

I woke abruptly when my bare back landed on the freezing cold ground. "Agh!" I yelped, rolling instinctively; unfortunately, I rolled in Bella's direction. An instant later, I was flying through the air to crash against the support pole of the tent. The equally icy hand of Edward Cullen had flung me like I was a rag doll. Landing on my feet, my body was in a crouch almost before I knew it. Cullen was between me and Bella, growling, Seth echoing him from outside. _Guess the truce's over,_ I thought before focusing on the threat in front of me. The urge to phase was strong, but I tried to fight it—Bella was only feet away, and a fight between us would only see her hurt.

"Stop it, stop it," she yelled at us, reaching to touch a hand to each of us. Cullen grabbed her wrist, like he was about to pull her away. "Stop it, now," she snapped at him. Seth was still growling outside.

Somehow, Bella touching me helped me to calm down—I couldn't hurt her. Didn't mean I was any happier with Cullen, though.

"Jacob, are you hurt?" she asked me.

_What?_ "Of course not," I hissed. _No thanks to you,_ I thought at the leech.

"That wasn't nice," Bella scolded Cullen. "You should apologize."

_Man, I love this girl!_

"You must be joking!" he snorted. "He was crushing you."

"Because you dumped him on the floor. _He_ didn't do it on purpose, and I'm not hurt._"_

He groaned—loudly. Obviously, apologizing was the _last_ thing in the world he wanted to do, and it was exactly what she expected of him. "My apologies, dog." The words were bit out—the perfect match to the lethal glare in his eyes.

"No harm done," was my retort. _Take that—we're not that easy to hurt._

Cullen picked up the parka I'd brought and wrapped it around Bella. "That's Jake's", she protested.

"He has a fur coat," he replied, hinting rather obviously that I should leave and phase to take advantage of it.

_So not happening,_ I thought, even as I said, "I'll just use the sleeping bag again. I wasn't quite ready to wake up. That wasn't the best night of sleep I've ever had."

"It was your idea," Cullen didn't sound the least bit sympathetic. Easy for him to say—he didn't have to sleep at all.

"Didn't sayit wasn't the best night I've ever had—it was," I yawned. "Just didn't get a lot of sleep. I thought Bella wasn't ever going to shut up." Not that I really minded, actually—I just loved being able to rub in his face what she'd said during the night. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Bella wince, and I felt bad. She was probably wondering what exactly she _had _said.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself," Cullen muttered.

Hopefully, that meant it hadn't been fun for him, so naturally I had to ask. "Didn't you have a nice night?"

"It wasn't my worst night." I had to grant him that; he'd already said as much earlier—that one being the night he'd spent thinking she was dead.

"Did it make the top ten?" Surely I could hope for that.

"Possibly." Of course, he wouldn't tell me either way. "But…if I had been able to take your place," he continued, "it wouldn't have made the top ten of the best nights of my life. Dream about that."

At least ten nights better than being cucooned with Bella? I couldn't help tensing up again, knowing from my pack brothers what they knew was better. "You know what? I think it's too crowded in here" I sat up and slid out of the sleeping bag. "I need to talk to Sam anyway. Catching up on sleep will just have to wait."

"Jake, wait," Bella begged. "Stay, please?"

"No," I barked. I couldn't do it, even if I wanted to, even if she begged. I had to stand with my brothers, and not just because Sam had ordered it.

Bella's face crumpled and I knew I'd hurt her. I sighed. "Don't worry, Bells. I'll be fine, just like always. You think I'm going to let Seth go instead to have fun and steal my glory? Yeah, right."

I pushed through the tent flap before Bella could say anything more than, "Be careful—".

I hit the edge of the woods in a long loping stride. I barely paused to jerk off my pants and tie them around my ankle, before phasing to my wolf form. _Welcome back,_ Seth thought. _What was going on in there?_

_Him being a jerk, what else?_ I didn't mind sharing what he'd done, really; nothing wrong with showing the others what an over-reacter he was. _Everything's okay here, _I thought to the pack.

_Come join us, Jacob_, Sam directed. _The vampires' psychic say_s _the newborn army will be here in about an hour. We're hiding in the woods south-east of that meadow; we'll hit them before they_ _know we're there._

_Sure, sure_, _I __**know**__ the plan,_ I snorted. _I'll leave here in a minute. _My awareness of the pack faded into the background as I concentrated on my surroundings briefly. Nope, nothing out there. Reassured, I turned my attention to the conversation currently underway in the tent I'd just left.

It was _his_ voice. "Do you want me to distract you?" I heard some movement that I couldn't easily identify. Then, "Maybe not right now," which must have been in response to some gesture of hers.

Then Bella's voice, "You could tell me about your ten best nights."

"Try to guess," Edward prompted her.

"There's too many nights I don't know about. A century of them."

"I'll narrow it down for you," he offered. "All of my best nights have happened since I met you."

"All of them?" Bella sounded incredulous. So was I, to be honest—nearly 40,000 nights to pick from, and his top ten were all in the last 500?

"Yes, really," he confirmed, "by quite a large margin, too."

"I can only think of mine," Bella said. I grinned wolfishly at that. If I knew even better what appealed to my Bella, then my future moves would be much more effective.

"They might be the same," Edward said.

"Well, there was the first night. The night you stayed." Bella began. I bared my teeth. 'First' indicated that there had been more since. And Charlie clearly knew nothing about these 'sleepovers'. I briefly toyed with the idea of enlightening him, but discarded that notion almost immediately. I couldn't hurt Bella that way again, like I had with her motorcycle. Besides, it probably wouldn't do any good anyway. Bella was eighteen—she could always move out of Charlie's house if he decided to lay down a law she didn't like. And if she did that, then she'd surely just move in with the Cullens. And if that happened, she'd probably be one of "them" within a week. Not to mention, _he_ would know in advance what I meant to do, and would just come up with some kind of countermove. For that matter, Edward had to know that I was still out here right now.

I refocused as Bella related her next favorite night. "Flying home from Italy." He didn't immediately respond to that one. After a moment, she queried, "Was that not one of yours?"

"No, it is," he said, slowly, "I'm just surprised its one of yours. Weren't you under the ludicrous impression that I was just acting from a guilty conscience and that I was going to bolt as soon as the plane doors opened?"

"Yes, but still, you were there." Yeah, he'd been there, but only because she'd risked her life running halfway around the world to try and save him. I wished yet again that I'd been able to persuade her to stay, that I'd been able to kiss her before that blasted phone had rung.

"You love me more than I deserve," he told her softly. I'd agree with him there. She shouldn't have taken him back, not after the way he'd callously abandoned her last year.

"And the night after Italy," she continued.

"Yes, that's on the list." So that was at least two nights in common between them. Not looking so good for me.

"Tell me one of yours now," Bella encouraged him. "Did I guess your first place?"

"No," he chuckled. "That would be two nights ago, when you finally agreed to marry me."

I froze in my crouch and could feel myself shaking violently as I tried to process what he'd just said. _Marry him?_ My Bella was engaged to this bloodsucking jerk? _Finally agreed?_ He'd asked her more than once already?

If he said anything else, I didn't hear it over the roaring in my ears. I could no longer control my rage, and staying where I was wasn't a good option anymore. A guttural howl erupted from my throat, as I dug my claws into the ground to propel me forward and away from that blasted tent.

As my guard dropped, the thoughts of my pack-mates flooded back into my conscious awareness.

_Ye-ow,_ Seth said, sympathetically.

_Sorry, man, _came from Quil and Embry.

_Calm down, _Sam commanded. _Seth, are you there?_

_Yep, _he confirmed. _Just like I have been for the last few hours, Sam. I still don't like it, but I'm here. I've got her now, Jake._

_Come back_, Sam told me.

I had slowed a bit while adjusting to the renewed noise in my head. I was just about to put on speed to rejoin the others when I heard something behind me.

"Jacob."

I spun around, sending a wave of dirt and forest debris flying as I came to a sudden stop.

_What do you want?_ I snarled in my thoughts.

"Bella wants to talk to you," Cullen said.

_I've heard plenty._

"She didn't know you were still there." He met my eyes squarely. "She didn't want you to find out like that, and not right before the fight, either."

_You're a real jerk, you know? If you knew all that and still did it anyway._

"Perhaps I am," he admitted. "But I knew she'd only stress about telling you and try to put it off. That wouldn't be fair to either of you."

_But she's stressing __**now**__ anyway, just because you had to __**help**__._ I found vicious pleasure in throwing that in his face.

"Which is why I'm here now. She wants to talk to you. If I hadn't come after you, she would have; then, she'd either get lost, hurt, or run straight into the newborns."

_You expect me to applaud you for being smart enough to figure that out?_ Part of me wanted to object on the principle of opposing him, but he was right about Bella. _Fine._

_Jacob—_Sam started to say.

_I know, Sam, I know. I'll just be a minute._ I turned and started moving back toward the tent and the addiction I didn't seem able to kick: Bella. Edward Cullen kept pace until we got close, but then he stopped.

"I'll give you both some privacy," he said.

_Fine._

_Jake?_

_Just back for a minute. Mind giving us some space, kid?_

_Okay._ Seth trotted off out of sight in the trees.

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Seth POV

Jake's pain was like a knife to our chests. Bella was actually planning to become a Cullen—really become one. I could feel him running and tried to keep my thoughts quiet. The last thing he needed right now was me thinking without thinking.

"I have to go find him," I heard Bella say. There was noise, like she was trying to do something, and then she was outside, squinting in the blinding sunlight.

I didn't mean to, but I couldn't help glaring at her. _Why are you hurting him like this? Don't you understand it'll kill him to see you do this, become his enemy?_

"You can't go after him," the vampire told her. "It's almost time."

"It's my fault—I should have—" Bella was crying hard, and I couldn't stay angry. Even a kid like me could see that she was hurting just as much as Jake was.

"Do you want me to see if I can bring him back, so you can talk to him?" he asked her. When she agreed, he was gone in a blur. "Keep her here and safe," he muttered as he passed me.

_Duh!_ I thought. I stayed where I was, curled up under a tree, watching Bella scrub her hands over her face.

It wasn't long before I heard them coming back. I moved away from the tent when Jake asked me to—this wasn't a conversation anyone else needed to listen to, even though the pack would know all about it before long.

Edward Cullen stood stiffly beside a tree. I came up next to him, standing upwind so I could breathe clean air.

_You know, Jake was right._

"Perhaps."

_Whatever. I don't think she's too happy with you, either, just so you know._

A ghost of a smile appeared on his face. "No, she isn't. I don't have to read her mind to know that."

_But do you know why?_

"You think _you_ do?" He looked skeptical. I mean, hey, I might just be a kid, but I did have an older sister. I wasn't completely clueless.

_Part of this is probably you doing this for her when she didn't ask you to or want you to. The rest of it is __**why**__ you did it."_

Cullen gave me a long look with those gold eyes of his, like a lowly young peasant like me shouldn't presume to understand him.

_From what you told Jake, Bella didn't want to tell him __**yet**__. Doesn't sound like she was saying she __**wouldn't**__ do it. And really, if you wanted to make her not worry, telling him right before a battle…not good strategy. Not that anything will happen—he's too good a fighter for that—but if it __**did**__…how could she not think his distraction might be a factor? And if you're the reason why he was distracted… Girls hold grudges like no one's business. Now maybe Bella isn't like that usually, but, man, Jake's her best friend. You get him hurt or, God forbid, killed…she's gonna blame you—and she should. We would, too, FYI. _

His smile this time seemed a little more real. "I'd expect no less from you, Seth. Or from Bella, either, truthfully." A hand ran back through his hair, but it was so wild anyway you couldn't tell he'd done it. "I never seem to do things the right way where she's concerned."

_Then why do you keep doing things like this? And actually, I'm not sure she'd blame you, after all—I think she'd probably blame herself, instead._

"I'm not sure," he admitted, addressing my first thought, but not the second. "Perhaps I'm just a slow learner. Or it might be that I want so badly to protect her from—from anything that might hurt her—that I forget to think before I act."

_I get the whole protective thing_—and I did; I knew how the imprinted wolves could get, and somehow this didn't seem too different. _And I know she can get hurt a lot easier than any of us, but…just because she __**could**__ get hurt doesn't mean she __**would**__ be. Bella's not the kind of girl who likes being smothered or thought of as a breakable knick-knack._

_Ooohhh, big words,_ Collin's voice cut in.

_Shut up!_ I shot back.

_Seth?_

_Sam? Something up?_

_The psychic has more information for us._

_Yeah?_

_Some leeches in black are on the way. About an hour._

"That's all we need," Edward muttered. "The Volturi. I shouldn't be surprised."

_What can we do?_

"Finish the fight before they get here. If you're still there when they arrive…they'll attack you."

_And?_ Paul wanted to know.

"They are the elite of our world. I've never heard of anyone challenging them and surviving, let alone winning. The werewolves of Europe were virtually wiped out because of the Volturi."

_Can we finish this in time, then? _Embry asked.

"That would be best," Edward agreed. "Seth, please ask Sam to have Alice try to nail down the schedule better. And as soon as the fight is over, you'll have to leave. The last thing we'll need is for them to smell you and get curious."

_Done._

Suddenly, it didn't seem like Cullen was paying any attention to me. He stiffened back up, and his eyes darkened a bit.

_Trouble? Edward?_ I thought, wondering if something was going wrong with the plan, if the psychic had missed something or gotten tricked.

"The plan is fine. Jacob is heading to join the others. Would you run a sweep of the area, Seth?"

Edward was already heading back toward the tent and Bella, so I figured my agreement wasn't exactly required. It was still a good idea, so I started running. Then, I heard Jake.

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Sam POV

My hackles were standing straight up, just like they had been all day. I had a bad feeling about all this, even though I knew we really didn't have much of a choice other than the one we'd already made.

"I can see the Volturi clearly," the psychic said, in a quiet voice that we all heard regardless. "So that means you aren't around when they get here. It still looks like an hour—no, forty-five minutes, now."

_The newborns?_ I growled.

"I don't see them with the Volturi, so the battle must be over before then."

I was distracted by new thoughts invading my mind. Jacob had phased again and was regaling us with his conversation with Bella. We could feel his body stretch out, long legs eating up the distance between where he was and the battlefield where we were waiting. As he ran, his mind played back the last few minutes.

"_I'm sorry I've been so selfish," Bella had told him. "I won't hurt you anymore, I promise. I'll move, and you won't have to look at me again."_

"_What if I don't want you to go away?" Jacob replied. "What if I'd rather you stayed, selfish or not? Don't I get any say?"_

"_It won't help anything, Jake. We want different things. It's not going to get better. I'll just keep hurting you."_

_Jacob sighed. "Well, you're not the only one capable of self-sacrifice."_

"_What?"_

"_I've behaved pretty badly myself. I've made this harder for you. I could have given up gracefully in the beginning. But I know how to redeem myself."_

"_What are you talking about?" Bella's voice now held a hint of panic._

"_There's a battle coming. Shouldn't be too hard to take myself out of the picture."_

We all growled at that memory.

_What the hell are you thinking? _I snarled.

_Just wait, okay? _Jacob said.

"_No, Jacob, I won't let you!" Bella cried._

"_How are you gonna stop me?"_

"_Please. Stay."_

"_And miss out on the fight? You've got to be kidding."_

"_I love you, Jacob. I'll do anything you want. Just please stay."_

"_I don't think you mean that. But if you want to try and convince me…just ask."_

"_Kiss me, Jacob."_

We all felt his remembered shock. _"You're bluffing."_

"_Kiss me! And then come back."_

He had pulled her close, one hand twisting in her hair as the other wrapped around her. Jacob had kissed her demandingly, then passionately when Bella's hands had clenched in his hair. We felt his certainty that she had wanted this just as much as he had. He'd finally pulled back, so he could see her dazed expression. "_This should have been our first kiss," he had told her, before turning to leave._

_You kissed her?_

_Ick!_

_How come he didn't try to kill you?_

_Gross, kissing a leech-lover._

_Heads in the game,_ I ordered everyone. _Jacob, do you mind?_

_Nope._ Jacob was unrepentant, exultant even. He'd finally gotten Bella to see the truth: that she loved him, too, not just the bloodsucker.

_This is not the time, Jacob. I need you on form right now._

_I am, Sam._

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AN: Again, to the faithful few: so, so sorry this took so long. A ten month hiatus was not in the plans, as already mentioned. Plus, it was harder than usual to figure out the pack perspective on some of the stuff in this chapter. Anyway, hope you liked. 


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